


Lord of the Vows

by themadmage



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Betrayal, Dark Harry Potter, Dark Lord Harry Potter, Dark Magic, Draco Malfoy goes to Durmstrang, Durmstrang, Friendship, Gen, Harry Potter Goes to Durmstrang, Harry Potter Goes to a Different School, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were born in 1977, Harry Potter is Not a Horcrux, Harry Potter was Raised by Remus Lupin, Magically Powerful Harry Potter, Master of Death Harry Potter, Minor Character Death, No Horcruxes, Not Canon Compliant, Parent-Child Relationship, Prison breakout, Rating May Change, Sirius Black Bashing, Triwizard Tournament, Unbreakable Vow (Harry Potter), Unconditional Parental Love, Vilified Harry Potter, Voldemort Died in the First War, Wandless Magic, Warnings May Change, Work In Progress, mild - not sure if I'd call it bashing but this isn't a Sirius-Friendly story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2019-07-04 22:24:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15850629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themadmage/pseuds/themadmage
Summary: Harry Potter defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort in 1981, at four years old. Fearful of the Dark power the child possessed, Headmaster Dumbledore rescinded his Hogwarts acceptance and slandered him in the Wizarding World. All Harry Potter wanted was acceptance, and equal rights for the man who raised him. A victim of his circumstances, Harry Potter finds the easiest way to get what he wants is to live up to the expectations of the Wizarding World. This leads to the rise of a new, and different, Dark Lord.





	1. Origins

Hadrian James Potter was born to James Potter and Lily Evans on the thirty-first of July in 1977. The young parents were about to start their seventh year at Hogwarts, and had agonized over what to do when they found out Lily was pregnant. Eventually, they had decided to keep the baby largely because of the brewing war. They didn’t want to risk their baby being adopted by a Death Eater’s family or left with someone who wouldn’t love him like they could. For their NEWT year, both young parents reduced their class load to only the basics. James forfeited his Quidditch Captaincy and the Head Boy badge and Lily turned in her Prefect badge, denying the opportunity to be Head Girl. The two shared a set of rooms intended for married students, and the Potters provided them with a personal house elf to help them keep up with caring for their baby and schoolwork at the same time.

James and Lily both graduated Hogwarts with decent marks, and loved their son dearly. They were married a week before their son’s first birthday. The war was threatening magical Britain more than ever, and both James and Lily Potter decided to join Dumbledore’s Order of the Phoenix and fight instead of getting traditional jobs. James’ inheritance would see them living comfortably for years, and they were able to take turns going on Order missions and watching baby Harry.

In 1980, a prophecy was made. The Potters were horrified that their baby was destined to defeat Voldemort, but more relieved than ever that they had decided to raise him themselves. The Potter family went into hiding when it was discovered that Voldemort had heard the prophecy and was targeting Harry.

Life in the safehouse was something the Potters didn’t acclimate to very easily. Both had been running missions since their graduation, and staying out of the way was not their area of expertise. They were allowed to do behind-the-scenes work for the Order – creating Portkeys, managing communications, documenting the reports of other Order members – and spent the rest of their time bonding with Harry. At three years old, he was an incredibly intelligent child who delighted in the simplest things. Their son could always bring a smile to the faces of James and Lily Potter, regardless of how tense they felt.

 

The Potter family lived safely in hiding for just over fifteen months. On All Hallows Eve in 1981, their peace was shattered just as Lily was tucking her son into bed.

It started with a quiet click as the front door latched closed. If Lily hadn’t known that James was already home and no one else was expected at their home that night, she may have had no warning at all. Voldemort shot a killing curse at James, and stepped over his body towards the upstairs of their cottage. Tearfully Lily kissed Harry’s forehead and placed herself between him and the door, cursing herself for leaving her wand in her own bedroom. The door swung open calmly.

“Stand aside, girl.” Harry began fussing at the sound of the cruel, unfamiliar voice.

“No, please.”

“Stand aside. You need not die tonight.”

“Not my son, please. Not Harry.” Lily was frantic, her panic causing Harry to cry louder.

“I will not say it again. Stand. Aside.”

“No. No, no, no.”

Voldemort flicked his wand lazily towards the redheaded witch. “Avada Kedavra.”

Lily screamed out a final sob, which was cut short when the green light hit her chest. Harry was crying in full force now, not understanding what had happened. Voldemort approached the child, who backed against the wall by his bed to escape. He pointed his wand at the forehead of the fearful boy, and lazily intoned the killing curse once again.

Unwittingly, by offering Lily Potter three chances to save herself Voldemort had set up a powerful protective ritual. Lily paid with her life, trading hers for her son’s. The magical number three combined with the selfless love of a mother caused Voldemort’s killing curse to rebound. The house exploded, Voldemort fell dead, and young Hadrian Potter was left with a lightning bolt gash on his head. Magic glowed around the two wizards. Dumbledore arrived on the scene, having felt the wards at the safehouse fall, just in time to see Voldemort’s power absorbed into Harry’s wound – sealing it shut into a white scar.

The four-year-old had somehow killed Voldemort, an adult wizard who had bested many Aurors in combat, and had absorbed the Dark magic from his corpse. Dumbledore didn’t know how it could have happened, but was terrified by the amount of Dark power he could feel radiating from the crying child. A child he would have held or comforted in any other circumstance, he now stared at in disgust and refused to touch.

Sirius and Remus arrived next, in anguish over the deaths of their best friends. They were shocked when they discovered that Harry had somehow survived, fulfilling his destiny at such a young age. The two men took Harry back to the flat they shared – Remus comforting him while Sirius packed and shrunk his most important possessions. It took hours to get Harry calmed enough to sleep – losing his parents, nearly dying, absorbing foreign magic, and being taken from his home was bound to be a traumatic evening.

 

Remus and Sirius had been caring for Harry for a week when the letter came. By this point, Harry was starting to understand that Mummy and Daddy were gone and couldn’t come back, and his moods were getting difficult to manage. This was doubly true as the tantrums were accompanied by a sudden increase in Harry’s accidental magic. Remus set Harry up with breakfast at the kitchen table while Sirius untied the letter from the owl’s foot. Both men recognized it as a Hogwarts owl, and wondered what the Headmaster needed from them. As soon as they saw that it was official school correspondence, they were rightfully worried.

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_To the Parent(s) or Guardian(s) of Hadrian James Potter,_

_We regret to inform you that Hadrian Potter’s place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been rescinded. This decision is based on evidence witnessed by Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster, that Mr. Potter is a dangerous Dark wizard and that training him in magic would bring danger to the Wizarding world. The decision to deny Mr. Potter a place at Hogwarts has been approved by the Hogwarts Board of Governors._

_Mr. Potter’s legal guardian may contest this decision by appearing at a hearing with the Board of Governors. To contest, send an owl no later than 10 November to schedule a hearing._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

 

A second piece of parchment sat behind the first, which Remus and Sirius read with shaking hands.

_Messers Black and Lupin,_

_I have told Albus and the Board that they are being ridiculous, to no avail. I urge you to contest the decision. Perhaps you will have better luck making them see sense. Should you be unsuccessful, write to me and I will provide resources on applying at other magical schools. Mr. Potter deserves an education, as does every child._

_My best,_

_Minerva_

Remus fell into the chair next to Harry, who was messily eating his breakfast and unaware that his world had just been rocked yet again. Sirius shook with rage. “This is Wormtail’s fault.”

“Sirius- what?”

“If Wormtail hadn’t betrayed all of us, James and Lily would still be here, Harry wouldn’t have all this Dark magic, and he’d be able to go to Hogwarts.” Anger seemed to have burned through the despair that Sirius had been lost in for the last week; his voice didn’t even break when he spoke of the deaths of their friends. “If Wormtail hadn’t betrayed all of us, I wouldn’t have to raise a Dark godson.”

“Sirius,” Remus pleaded, as Sirius stormed out of the room. “I hate what Peter did too, but this isn’t the end of the world. Not for us and Harry, at least. You can contest the decision, if it doesn’t work Harry will just have to go to another school. I’m sure the Black name will make it easier to find him somewhere. And having Dark magic isn’t that big of a deal.”

“Isn’t it? He’s tainted. He’s dangerous. He’s Dark now.”

“Have you forgotten that I’m a Dark creature, Sirius?” Sirius re-entered the kitchen, boots and cloak on and his features set in a hard mask. He didn’t act as if he’d heard Remus’ last statement at all. “Where are you going, Sirius?”

“I’m going to kill Wormtail.”

“Sirius!” Remus tried to stop his friend leaving, but Sirius shoved past him and slammed the door shut before Remus could react. Remus said a prayer that Sirius wouldn’t do anything too stupid as he went back to the kitchen to check on Harry, but that prayer would go unanswered.

Sirius didn’t come home.

 

In the wake of Sirius’ arrest, Remus tried to schedule a hearing to contest Harry’s rejection from Hogwarts. The reply he received was that only the child’s legal guardian, in this case Sirius Black, could contest. Sirius was sitting in Azkaban without rights to an owl after killing Peter and catching twelve muggles in the crossfire, and Remus didn’t know what to do.

Being recognized as Harry’s legal guardian was next to impossible. Werewolf restrictions meant Remus wasn’t legally allowed to adopt or have sole custody of a child. Only when the Wizengamot suggested sending Harry to a living relative did anyone step in. Dumbledore fearfully told the governing body that Harry Potter’s only living relatives were Muggles and that the child’s Dark magic was far too dangerous to allow him around them.

A call was put out for a wizarding family to adopt Harry Potter, but there were no suitable responses. Families with Death Eater ties were not being considered, as it was feared they would abuse or kill the child in retribution for their fallen leader. No Light-oriented families applied, likely due to the smear campaign against Harry Potter that had hit the presses the day he was removed from the list of future Hogwarts students.

On the second of December, after three weeks of waiting, the Wizengamot gave in and awarded custody of the child to Remus. Immediately, Remus went to the Records office and had his last name added to Harry’s, making him Hadrian James Potter-Lupin. Law enforcement was notorious for “unfortunate misunderstandings” when it came to werewolves, and Remus was not taking any chances that Harry would be taken away from him.

That same day, Remus wrote again to attempt to schedule a hearing to contest Hogwarts’ decision to reject Harry. Unfortunately, Harry’s lack of a legal guardian was not seen as a reason to extend the contestation deadline, which had long passed. Minerva sent with the response a list of magical schools Harry could potentially attend, along with her comments on each and the steps to apply.

_Beauxbatons Academy – of a similar caliber to Hogwarts, my top recommendation. To apply, write Headteacher Olympe Maxime. Teaches and conducts all business in French._

_Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – also of a similar caliber to Hogwarts, but would require you to move to North America. To apply, register a North American address with MACUSA and await correspondence. Inquiries can be sent prior to relocation to MACUSA’s immigration office._

_Castelobruxo – very good reputation for Herbology and Magizoology, accepts European students regularly on exchange and may be convinced to allow full-time admittance without relocation under the circumstances. Castelobruxo’s reputation will unfortunately box its students into certain career paths. To apply, contact the ICW Educational Office. Teaches in Portuguese, but will conduct formal business in English upon request._

_Koldovstoretz – very good reputation for Potions, accepts European students regularly on exchange and may be convinced to allow full-time admittance without relocation under the circumstances. Similar issue to Castelobruxo, as Potions is the only subject Koldobstoretz is well-known for. To apply, contact the ICW Educational Office. Teaches in Russian, but will conduct formal business in English upon request._

_Durmstrang Institute – not ideal, given the school’s reputation for teaching the Dark Arts and Grindelwald’s attendance there, but highly likely to accept Mr. Potter. Regularly accepts European students, and teaches a wide range of subjects well. Teaches and conducts all business in German._

_The only other well-known magical schools which accept students internationally are Mahoutokoro School of Magic and the Salem Witches’ Institute. Salem accepts only girls, and Mahoutokoro would expel Mr. Potter at the first sign of Dark magic as they are stringently against it, therefore neither are attractive options._

_My apologies for the idiocy of the world around us, Mr. Lupin. I know you will do what is best for Mr. Potter, and I wish you the best of luck in applying to schools._

_Minerva McGonagall_

Remus took a few moments to get his frustrations under control before sending his gratitude to Minerva, and then set to work applying at the schools she had listed. Remus spoke only English, so he had to use translation charms fairly heavily as he worked. Still, within twenty-four hours of receiving Minerva’s list he had sent inquiries to all five of the suggested schools.

 

Responses came quickly. MACUSA would not allow them to immigrate due to Harry and Remus’ statuses as a Dark wizard and Dark creature respectively. Remus gladly burned that letter. Beauxbatons and Koldovstoretz rejected Harry’s application. Ostensibly the rejections were based on the numbers of students native to France and Russia already registered, but Remus felt like their excuses were fairly weak. Castelobruxo didn’t even pretend that they were rejecting Harry for any reason besides the way he had defeated Voldemort. Remus sighed, looking at the letter from Durmstrang Institute. Harry had been accepted, contingent on an interview with the Headmaster. Like Minerva had said, Durmstrang was not ideal but Harry had to be educated somewhere.

Remus responded affirmatively to the Institute’s suggested meeting time, and then began seeking tutors in German. He’d be damned if Harry’s education was made any more difficult than it had to be by a language barrier. Luckily, James and Lily had set up an account to provide for Harry’s physical and educational needs growing up if anything happened to them rather than paying Hogwarts’ tuition in advance.

 

On the tenth of December, Harry and Remus were served an eviction notice. The flat they stayed in had been solely in Sirius’ name since Landlords outside Knockturn Alley didn’t rent to werewolves. Remus wrote to the Ministry and Gringotts, requesting permission to use a portion of the Potter vaults to purchase a property for Harry to grow up in. The day before they were required to vacate their current flat, he received the necessary permission contingent that the property was purchased in Harry’s name and given to him immediately upon his coming of age. Relieved, Remus went to the Ministry’s housing office to look at available properties and purchased a modest two-bedroom home in the countryside.

 

The interview with Headmaster Munter at Durmstrang on the twelfth of December was tense, but the school ultimately decided to accept Harry. Harry’s Durmstrang education would begin at age ten, which meant he had six years to become fluent in German and to learn the magical theory that his peers would know. For the first time since Sirius had been arrested, Remus felt like he could breathe freely.


	2. Preparing for School

Harry Potter-Lupin grew up loved and hated at the same time. The home where he lived with his Papa was a haven for both of them. He ate delicious meals, helped around the house with age-appropriate chores, played outside in the house’s extensive back garden, and was loved unconditionally by his Papa. When he got into mischief, as young kids tend to, he was punished fairly but firmly. When his Papa had discovered that Harry was a Parselmouth at age seven, he’d been gifted with a snake familiar. She was a Rosy Boa, magically bred for longevity, and Harry named her Scylla.

It had taken four attempts to find a German tutor that would treat Harry fairly – not looking upon him with suspicion or treating him like something other than a child. Remus supervised each lesson closely, even after all these years. Harry’s physical and emotional safety was always a top priority in their household.

Harry’s Papa taught him to read, write, and do arithmetic himself, unwilling to go through the same process with additional tutors or schools in subjects he was personally familiar with. His Papa also taught him basic Magical Theory, and when it was clear that his accidental magic would always be especially volatile Harry was taught to meditate and control his emotions. Luckily Remus had learned similar techniques as a child, after being turned, to control his wolfish instincts.

Harry always knew that his Papa was a werewolf – no one ever made an effort to hide the fact from him. Full moons were difficult for the pair. Harry had to be sent to a sitter for the night of the moon and the following day while his Papa recovered. Their options for sitters were unfortunately limited, since most people Remus was close to had died or been imprisoned when Harry’s parents were killed. Most of the old Order members refused contact with Harry, fully buying into the negativity that Dumbledore had spread about him after the fall of Voldemort. Most often, Harry was left in the care of the Weasley family. The family had a son a year older than Harry – Percy – and twins a year younger. They generally treated Harry coldly, but would never do worse than be distant. Harry knew his Papa didn’t like sending him to people who treated him this way because he was always doted on and given extra treats the day he went home.

Trips to Diagon Alley and other Wizarding destinations were generally terrible, and were therefore few and far between. Remus preferred to owl order anything he could. When they did have to go in person he always held Harry close, protective over his cub.

Harry knew in general what the Wizarding world thought of him. His Papa didn’t let him read the papers if he was mentioned, but he wanted him to know why trips away from home were always so difficult so he explained to him in gentle, age-appropriate terms the attitudes people held and the reasons behind them. Harry was often a bit lonely, not having any friends besides his Papa and Scylla, but he didn’t resent the isolation he lived in. He’d rather be lonely than be constantly faced with the scorn of the British Wizarding world.

 

On the twenty-fourth of July in 1987, days before Harry’s tenth birthday, a regal looking owl arrived during breakfast. It gave the letter to Harry, who opened it immediately. When he saw that it was written in German, he knew it could only be his school letter. Translating it easily to English, Harry read the letter aloud to his Papa.

_Mr. Potter-Lupin,_

_It is our pleasure to confirm your acceptance to the esteemed Durmstrang Institute, following your registration in December 1981. Please respond by owl no later than 1 st August to confirm your enrollment. Arrive at Platform 3 ½ at Stockholm Central Train Station, Sweden by 13:00 on 31st August to travel to the school. A supply list is enclosed._

_First-year students must bring:_

_Uniform:_

_Martial Robes, blood-red_

_Hat, blood-red and fur-lined_

_Protective gloves, dragon-hide or similar_

_Winter cloak, blood-red and fur-lined with black fastenings_

_Athletics Uniform_

_Books_

_The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 (German Edition) by Miranda Goshawk, translated by Elias Schickedanz_

_A Medieval History, Wizarding from the 5 th to 15th Centuries by Wilhelmina Jensen_

_History of the Dark Arts by Albin Schwarz_

_A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration (German Edition) by Emeric Switch, translated by Udo Gramlich_

_Brewing Basics by Anni Von Braun_

_Curses and Counter-Curses by Professor Vindictus Viridian_

_Other Equipment_

_Trunk, magically expanded_

_Wand_

_Parchment_

_Quills and Ink_

_Cauldron, pewter size 2_

_Set of Potions Vials, glass or crystal_

_Brass Scales_

_Basic Potion Ingredient Kit_

_Wizarding Weight Set, size 1_

_Broomstick (optional)_

_Students are allowed a familiar, provided it is well-behaved and small. Owls are not to be brought, as students use the Institute’s untraceable owls for all communications._

It was the day before the full moon – not a good time to travel – so Harry and his Papa decided to get his school things on his birthday. Harry grinned, too excited about starting school to be worried about going out.

“Do you think the kids at Durmstrang will like me?” Harry asked.

Remus thought carefully about how to answer. “I think they’ll be more open to you than kids in Britain. But you should still be cautious.”

Harry nodded his acceptance. He knew that with his reputation, making friends would never be easy. He only hoped it would finally be possible.

 

On Harry’s tenth birthday, he woke up early. Breakfast was his favorite – Scotch Pancakes with jam and cream. After eating, his Papa took him to the Ministry of Magic to use the international floo. To get his things for Durmstrang, they needed to go to Hexengasse in Germany. As always, the people at the Ministry looked down on Harry and his Papa. Today, however, it was easier to brush them off.

Harry handled interactions with the shopkeepers throughout the day. His Papa had picked up some basic German from supervising Harry’s tutoring, but hadn’t done the assignments or practice that Harry had and was nowhere near fluency.

Their first stop was for a trunk. Harry had a basic one that had been taken from the cottage in Godric’s Hollow, but it was old and unsuitable for school. The trunk Harry chose was black with silver bands, charmed with an undetectable extension charm and a featherlight charm that were guaranteed for ten years, and could be set up with a password lock. The shop next door to the luggage store specialized in potions supplies, so they were able to get Harry’s cauldron, vials, scales, and ingredients before moving on. At the bookstore, Bücher und Schreiben, Harry was able to get all of his textbooks, a quality set of quills, extra ink, bound journals for notetaking, and rolls of parchment for essays.

Next, they went to a store that sold athletic equipment where they were able to get the wizarding weights. The weights interested Harry, since they didn’t have anything like them at home. They were charmed featherlight for storage, but once activated would automatically adjust to the strength of the user. You had to set them with your wand to be either low or high weight. The shopkeeper explained that the low weight setting was meant to develop lean muscles and the high weight setting to develop bulk. As a birthday present, Harry’s Papa also bought him his first proper broom – a Nimbus 2000. Until now Harry had only flown on children’s brooms, charmed not to go more than ten feet up and to move very slowly. He threw his arms around his Papa in thanks, causing him to stumble backwards with his enthusiasm.

Harry giggled at the name of the clothing shop – Rubens Roben. Inside he told the attendant, a woman wearing a nametag that said Yvonne, that he needed the full Durmstrang uniform. She sent him back to be measured, where another boy Harry’s age already stood on one of the two stools. Instinctively, Harry moved to cover his scar.

“Are you a first year?” the boy asked in German.

“Yes. Hello,” Harry replied nervously.

“My name is Viktor Krum. I’m going into my second year.”

“I’m Harry. It’s nice to meet you.” Harry intentionally left out his last name. He wasn’t eager to see this boy either reject him or be weirdly in awe of him on his birthday.

“Where are you from?”

“England. And you?”

“Bulgaria. You aren’t going to Hogwarts?”

“No.”

Krum waited for a moment, until it was clear that Harry wasn’t going to offer an explanation for going to school so far from home. “Do you fly?”

Harry grinned brightly and began telling Krum about his new broom. Krum revealed that he’d been given the same model for his birthday in April, and it flew wonderfully. By the time Krum was measured for his robes, he and Harry were talking comfortably. If he ever noticed Harry’s scar or knew what it meant, he didn’t say anything.

When Harry was measured for his robes, Remus arranged for them to be sent by owl to their home. The long-distance delivery cost an extra galleon, but it was worth it not to have to take the international floo again to pick the purchase up. They ordered more than the standard number of uniforms for Harry, since he had a tendency to tear his clothes and repairing them left noticeable marks on bright colors like the bloodred Durmstrang uniforms.

Before getting a wand, Harry and his Papa stopped for a late lunch. Harry’s already good mood was further improved by his positive interaction with someone close to his own age, and Remus couldn’t stop smiling at the child’s antics. When they’d paid, it was time to go to Gregorovitch – the area’s wandmaker.

Harry practically bounced into the wand shop, and Remus refused to show the dismay he felt that Harry wouldn’t be getting an Ollivander wand. Gregorovitch’s process was different from Ollivander’s. Instead of trying multiple wands until one fit, the elderly man placed two trays on the counter. The first held samples of different woods, and the second different cores.

“Feel free to handle any that you wish, and tell me if any of them feel particularly comfortable for you,” he rasped to Harry. Harry did so, and eventually settled on one of the woods and two of the cores. Gregorovitch raised his eyebrows at the child’s choice. “Acacia wood – wands of this wood only choose some of the most powerful witches and wizards, and are incredibly loyal to the wizard they choose. Best for subtle magics. The cores you’ve chosen are boggart skin – best for Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and Legilimency – and Basilisk scale – incredibly rare and expensive, and always chooses a wizard who is either a Parselmouth or a Dark wizard.” The elderly wandmaker moved to the shelves and produced four boxes. “These four wands meet the specifications you’ve shown. Three are boggart cores, and the fourth is basilisk. Try them out, see if one is right for you.”

Harry picked up each of the wands, one at a time. He turned them in his hands for a moment before setting them down again. He paid no mind to the nervous gaze of his Papa, too absorbed in the magic he could feel from each of the wands. They all felt nice in his hands – much better than when he used to play with his Papa’s wand – but it was the fourth one that felt the best. Harry waved the basilisk scale wand, and it immediately took his breath away. The air felt like it was swirling and crackling around him, and he knew that no other wand would ever feel this right.

Gregorovitch’s voice shook slightly, from awe or fear one couldn’t tell. “Acacia and basilisk scale, eleven inches and sturdy. The core is an heirloom one, and incredibly rare as I’ve said. The wand comes to twenty-two galleons.”

Harry’s Papa glanced at him, slightly wary, and saw that he looked like he would never set the wand down. If it was that important to Harry, there was no way he could reject it. “We’ll take it,” he said, “and a dueling holster.” Remus then handed over twenty-six galleons for the purchase, helped Harry strap the holster to his arm and put the wand in, then guided him out of the shop.

They took the floo back to the British Ministry, then home. Once there, Harry’s Papa made him a nice dinner and a homemade birthday cake. After dinner, Harry took his new broom to the back garden to try it out. By bedtime, he was thoroughly exhausted and his Papa had nearly fainted from fear of the maneuvers he tried. The intensity of the wand shop was forgotten as they readied for bed.

 

August flew by, as Harry read through his schoolbooks, flew in the garden, and packed and re-packed his trunk. On the thirty-first, Remus stepped into Harry’s bedroom just as he was finishing his final packing attempt.

“I have something for you, Harry.” His Papa’s eyes shined.

“What is it, Papa?”

Remus smiled sadly. “Something of your father’s. I’ve been holding onto it since your parents died, waiting for the right time to give it to you. I thought about doing it on your birthday, or waiting for Christmas, but your first day of school is something that only happens once.” He then handed Harry a soft package, wrapped in paper. Harry opened it, and silky material ran over his fingers. A hazy memory nagged at the back of his mind, but he couldn’t place it. He had been too young when his parents died to remember anything they did or had clearly. “It’s an invisibility cloak. A Potter family heirloom. Your father had it at school, and so did his father. It’s exceptionally well made – they usually don’t last more than a decade. James always thought there must be something special keeping it working. He’d have investigated it if he had time.”

Harry smiled up at his Papa, a melancholy edge to the expression. “I’ll take great care of it.”

“I know you will, cub. Now, let’s get to the Ministry.”

Harry nodded, and put the cloak carefully in his trunk. He closed the lock with a hiss – his password was Parseltongue for “password”. No need to use something creative when it was a in a language which he was the only known speaker of. Harry then pulled his trunk towards the door, and his Papa followed carrying Scylla’s tank.

 

Stockholm Central Train Station was packed, and Remus kept a tight grip on Harry’s shoulder to keep him from getting lost. Platform 3 ½ was accessed the same way as 9 ¾ at King’s Cross, which Remus was glad about. He always tried not to draw more attention than necessary to the fact that Harry was going to a different school than his Papa and his parents had, and if he’d been stumped by the transportation there it would have brought the topic up.

The train to Durmstrang – the Zauberbahn – was sat at the ready. It didn’t run on steam like the Hogwarts Express, but mimicked the modern speed trains that people boarded on the Muggle side of the platform. It was almost one, the time the train would leave, so Harry quickly gave his Papa a hug goodbye.

“Stay safe. Write often. Do well in your classes, but don’t forget to have fun. I love you, Harry.”

“I will, Papa. I love you too.”

And with that, Harry was settled into an empty compartment and on his way to school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hexengasse is German for Witches’ Alley. Bücher und Schreiben is German for Books and Writing. Rubens Roben = Ruben’s Robes. All of my shop names are very creative. Gregorovitch is the maker of Viktor Krum’s wand in canon. Wand information comes from Wandlore for Beginners by AJ Cochran on hogwartsishere.com. Zauberbahn means Magic Train. I’m relying on the language barrier to make things sound cooler, clearly.


	3. The Train Ride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All conversations Harry has at school will be in German unless otherwise stated. I’m not going to bother repeating that over and over in the dialogue tags, nor am I going to write the conversations in German and translate them. I will use Herr and Frau instead of Mr. or Ms. and continue naming places in a language that fits the country. Also, titles stack in German so Harry will call his teachers “Herr Professor [Last Name]” or “Frau Professor [Last Name]”.

Harry had just gotten comfortable when the compartment door opened. He looked up to see a girl his age standing nervously there, and smiled encouragingly at her. “Is this seat free?”

“Yes, would you like to sit?”

“Please.” Harry smiled again, and the girl sat down across from him. “I’m Mia Accola. What’s your name?”

Harry hesitated, but decided not to pull the same trick he had in the robe shop. He had to find out eventually how people would react to him. “Harry Potter. Nice to meet you.”

The girl’s eyes widened briefly, but she got her features under control quickly. Harry hadn’t been able to tell if the expression was fear, awe, or only surprise. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too. You’re from England, right?” Harry nodded. “I’m from Switzerland. Is that your snake?”

Harry was content to let this girl, who insisted he call her Mia, direct the conversation as long as she stayed away from certain topics. She was extremely polite and friendly, and Harry hoped they could stay friends once they got to school. Her German was a bit different to understand – it was clearly the Swiss dialect – but he’d put up with worse for a friend.

When they’d been talking about ten minutes, the compartment door opened again. In the doorway stood a pale boy with platinum hair and sharp features. He seemed to hesitate on what language to speak in, causing him to stutter before settling on German. “He-Hello. I’m Draco Malfoy. May I sit here?”

Harry eyed the boy warily. It was impossible to grow up in magical Britain without knowing the name Malfoy, and he knew the other boy was likely to know who he was too. Still, this boy was ten and he hadn’t said anything rude. “Okay.”

Malfoy smiled unsurely as he took a seat. Mia held out a hand, which the blonde shook. “My name is Mia Accola. Pleasure to meet you.”

Once introductions were taken care of, they started in on a conversation on what classes they were looking forward to the most. Malfoy was excited for Potions, Mia for History, and Harry for Martial Magic. Malfoy gave Harry an appraising look that made him want to shift in his seat when Harry said that, which Harry staunchly ignored.

Conversation continued comfortably until it was time to change into uniforms. Mia stepped out to change in the lavatory while Harry and Malfoy changed in the compartment. Their trousers were black, pressed firmly. The boots they wore were shiny and rigid, but conveniently charmed not to rub or cause blisters. The blood-red robes fit tightly across the chest, fastened with two rows of gold buttons and flaring out from the hips, open in front of the legs. It was cold compared to England, so both Harry and Malfoy donned their fur-lined hats and cloaks.

 

Durmstrang Institute was a castle by the sea, looming above the studentsThe train pulled up to a small station just in front of the castle. At almost the same time a ship emerged from a whirlpool on the coastline, bringing the students who were coming from somewhere other than Stockholm. Uniformed students piled out of both the train and the ship, those who were unused to the cold pulling their cloaks tightly around them as they briskly walked to the castle’s large front doors. Inside, the returning students proceeded directly to the Great Hall while the year’s new students were shepherded into an antechamber to be addressed.

“Good evening, students. Welcome to Durmstrang Institute, I am Headmaster Karkaroff. Here at Durmstrang, we pride ourselves on discipline, respect of authority, and personal accountability. Be aware that failure to live up to the standards of excellence we have set will be punished. In a moment, you will be formally introduced to the school. Here at Durmstrang, your yearmates are your comrades and you will succeed or fail together. You will eat meals together and share a dormitory and class schedule. After the evening meal, the senior Cadet assigned to your group will guide to your dormitory and go over rules and scheduling. Now, form a single file line in the order you are called and stand still at attention.”

Each group was made up of six girls and six boys, apparently sorted by country of origin. Harry fell into line behind Malfoy, glad that he hadn’t alienated his roommate. They were marched into the Great Hall somewhat awkwardly, but Harry got the impression that this would be something they practiced until it was perfectly coordinated.

 

In the Great Hall there were eight large square tables, seven of which were filled. One by one, their names were called and they were seated at the empty table. Harry did his best to remember his new classmates’ names, but it had been a long day. Through the exhaustion he felt, Harry decided there would be time to learn names. The food was odd to Harry – a mixture of dishes from different Eastern European countries. Harry tried a few, and found that he liked most of them despite not knowing what they were.

 

Before Harry knew it, they were being led to the dormitories by an eighth-year student.

“My name is Stefan Binder, and I am the senior Cadet assigned to your group. Should you need anything here at Durmstrang Institute, I am the first person you should come to. The twelve of you will be having all of your classes and meals together here at Durmstrang, as well as sharing a dormitory. This is the group’s common room, where you can spend your free time on evenings and weekends. Girls sleep to the left, and boys to the right.

“Wake up call Monday through Friday is at six, Physical Conditioning is from half past six until half past seven, and breakfast is at eight. Classes and tutorials begin at nine and continue until five with a break for lunch at noon. After dinner there is an hour and a half of mandatory supervised study time, spent either in the Great Hall or the library, then you are free to after eight thirty to do what you’d like. On weekends, mealtimes remain the same but the time between is free for study, socialization, or extracurricular activities.

“School rules are posted by the common room door, but I’ll tell you the biggest ones now. Excellence is expected here at Durmstrang. If you are at risk of not meeting the school’s standards, I will meet with you to discuss a plan for improvement. If you fail any end of year exam you’ll be put on probation. While on probation, you cannot participate in extracurricular activities and will have to have biweekly progress meetings with me. I’m sure you can understand that I don’t want to do that, so don’t fail. If you fail to meet standards again while on probation, you will be expelled. Cleaning of your personal space is your responsibility. Laundry will be done by house elves. Your dormitories will be inspected regularly for cleanliness. Finally, you will be held accountable for your actions here at Durmstrang. If you are caught breaking rules, you are expected to accept your punishment gracefully. If no one takes responsibility, the entire group will be punished.

“Now, off to bed. Your trunks have been placed by your beds by the house elves. No switching is allowed.”

 

Harry’s head swam as he made his way into the boys’ dormitory. It was a good thing those rules were posted, or he’d never remember them all. Harry then unlocked his trunk with a hiss, ignoring the startled glances his roommates gave at the sound of Parseltongue, and retrieved his pajamas, toiletry kit, and after a moment a piece of parchment and a self-inking quill.

Once Harry had readied himself for bed, he started a letter to his Papa. He’d find time to send it tomorrow.

 

_Dear Papa,_

_The first day has gone well. I sat with two other first years on the train. The first was a girl named Mia Accola, from Switzerland, and she was really nice and didn’t react to my name at all. The second was actually Draco Malfoy. I was nervous to talk to him, given his family, but we were civil. It’s a good thing, too, because we’re roommates._

_My other roommates are three boys from Ukraine – twins Anton and Marko Honcharuk and Ivan Skliar – and one from Albania – Florim Lami. We’ll also have classes with six girls, but I don’t remember their names from dinner just yet. I think I saw Mia in the group._

_The day starts early. I should sleep._

_I love you, Papa._

_Harry_


	4. First Classes

The first day of school was a Tuesday. Harry was a bit tired when the wakeup call came, since his Papa usually let him sleep in until at least eight. Despite that, he got out of bed and quickly dressed and made up his sheets like the other boys. Harry couldn’t help a smirk when he saw that Malfoy was struggling to make his own bed look neat. He’d likely always had house elves clean up after him. In their athletic uniforms, the kids were lead to the training yard.

The Physical Conditioning instructor was a fierce looking woman with black hair tied into a flawless bun and a frame that, though lean, suggested she could kill someone barehanded if the mood struck. Her name was Frau Petrov. “Start by running five laps. When you’ve finished, begin immediately with the first-year calisthenics routine listed on the wall.”

Harry followed her instructions immediately. The workout was tiring, but not overly so. While Harry had never followed an exercise routine at home, he’d spent a lot of time playing in the yard and was highly active. When the hour of conditioning was up, the group returned to their dormitory to shower and dress in their uniforms for class.

There were enough showers for everyone to use one at once, likely for exactly this situation, and Harry washed quickly. There were hair dryers in the bathroom that seemed to activate a drying spell when touched. Harry then dressed carefully, and used some hair potion that his Papa had given him to tame his wild locks. He packed all of his books, not knowing yet what classes they’d have on each day, along with note-taking supplies. His wand in its holster, Harry was the second of the boys ready to go to breakfast.

“Hi, I’m Harry Potter.” he said.

The other boy who was ready to go looked at him warily, which frustrated Harry. “My name is Florim Lami.”

Harry smiled at the boy, doing his best not to let his frustration show. “Are you excited for classes?”

Lami only nodded, and Harry gave up on the conversation as the rest of the boys grabbed their bags and their senior Cadet arrived to lead them to breakfast.

 

In the Great Hall, the students all stood behind their chairs until Headmaster Karkaroff appeared and sat down at the head table. The student body then sat as one, only the new students standing out in the sea of fluid motion. Breakfast was incredibly healthy looking – a type of porridge, assorted fruits, and juice that seemed freshly squeezed. Nothing was sweet or greasy. While they quietly ate, several professors passed out class schedules.

Harry was surprised to see that they’d actually have all five of their classes daily, and was glad he’d brought all of his books. They had Charms and History of Magic in the morning, and then Martial Magic, Potions, and Transfiguration in the afternoon with a half hour break.

 

On the way to Charms class, Harry couldn’t find it in himself to be frustrated by the fact that he hadn’t gotten any of the boys besides Malfoy to talk to him yet. He was finally going to do _magic_. Ever since getting his wand, its warmth had called to him and only the Reasonable Restriction for Underage Wizardry had been holding him back.

Herr Professor Antonov was tall with brown skin, black hair, and dark eyes. He stood at the front of the class while the students filed in, standing behind their seats like they had in the Great Hall.

“You may sit. Welcome to Charms. Charms is a wide branch of magic that describes any spell that is not transfiguration or combative. There are several subtypes of charms, such as household charms or protective charms. In this subject, there is no room for error. Your wand movements, stance, and pronunciation must be superb to successfully cast these spells. How many of you have practiced any basic charms before?” Most of the class raised their hands, including Malfoy. Harry silently hoped he wouldn’t be too far behind his classmates just because his Papa liked to follow the rules. “Excellent. Today, we will be learning the levitation charm.”

Once Herr Professor Antonov had demonstrated the charm twice, telling them to pay special attention to the flick of the wrist at the end of the wand movement, he passed out feathers for them to try to levitate. Harry practiced the wand movement silently one more time before intoning the spell – _Winguardium Leviosa_ – and was surprised to see the feather levitate immediately.

“Very well done, Herr Potter.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“This is your first time casting charms?”

“Yes, Herr Professor.”

“I am impressed.” Antonov then conjured a cushion. “Larger objects are harder to levitate. Try that next.” Harry did, and it again levitated perfectly. The professor gave him a searching look, then summoned a set of scale weights. “Continue raising the weight on those until you find a challenge, then practice at that level.”

“Yes, sir.” Harry said before the professor moved on to the next student. He then noticed several of his classmates watching him in disbelief, and blushed.

 

“Welcome to History of Magic,” said Frau Professor Dorottya once the students had been given the cue to sit. “I’m aware that my subject is seldom anyone’s favorite, but it is important so I’ll endeavor to hold your attention. This year, we will be covering Medieval history. Next year will focus on the Renaissance era, and the year after that will be modern history. In your fourth year, we will cover major wars among magical people. If you elect to continue with History of Magic after your fourth year, we will dig deeper into these major wars and study the attitudes that contributed to them as well as the combat strategies that were used. Now, if you’ll turn your attention to the mural behind me.”

Dorottya then tapped her wand against the mural and it animated, showing a destitute-looking woman approaching a small house in the country. “Before the Muggle church began persecuting magic, Muggles often sought out help from witches and wizards. Sometimes the practitioners of magic that they approached were legitimate, and sometimes they were not. Typically, this magical assistance would come at a price – money, services, or even a favor owed. Occasionally these prices would turn malicious, coercing the Muggles into giving up something dear to them in order to gain or protect something even more dear. This is what historians believe began the persecution of witches and wizards that sparked events such as witch burnings and eventually the creation of the International Statute of Secrecy.”

 

After lunch was Martial Magic, which Harry was excited for. Based on the books they’d been assigned, it seemed like the most interesting class. It also seemed the most like Defense Against the Dark Arts would be at Hogwarts, and his Papa had talked to him about that subject quite a bit over the years since it had been his best one.

“Welcome to Martial Magic. I am Frau Professor Zemanová.” Zemanová was a petite woman. Her stance at the front of the class was relaxed, but the intensity in her eyes suggested that her relaxation was born out of confidence in her abilities. “In this class, you will learn offensive and defensive magic including the basics of the Dark Arts, and practice applying that knowledge to individualized dueling techniques. To start, who feels that they can define the Dark Arts?”

A girl that Harry didn’t know yet raised her hand tentatively and was prompted to answer. “The Dark Arts are negative magic – magic that hurts people.”

“That response scratches the surface, but isn’t entirely correct. The Dark Arts do indeed generally cause harm to people or objects, but not all harmful magic is Dark. Dark Arts are defined as magic that channels negatively charged energy, as opposed to neutral or positively charged energy. Overuse of the Dark Arts has the potential to corrupt a mage’s magical core, leading to addiction or difficulty casting other branches of magic. However, when used with proper respect for their danger a willingness to use the Dark Arts opens the door to a powerful branch of magic and gives you an edge in battle. You will cast Dark Arts in this class, though relatively little. If you find that you have a talent for them and can respect them, I recommend you register for the Dark Arts electives.

“The first spell I will be teaching you is the Full-Body Bind, which temporarily freezes a person in a plank-like form while leaving them mentally aware of their surroundings. The effects will last until the spell is countered, or until it wears off or the target puts enough energy into fighting it to break through. The more power is put behind the spell, the more difficult it is to break and the longer it will last. The incantation is _petrificus totalus_ , and the wand movement is an anticlockwise circle followed by a horizontal movement to the right and a flick downward. Practice first on the charmed dummies at the back of the room, and once you’ve achieved the spell to a degree that will not cause injury I will partner you up to practice on living targets.”

Like in Charms, Harry found himself successful on his first attempt. Frau Professor Zemanová looked reluctantly impressed. When it was clear that no one else was ready to practice with Harry, she directed him to cast the spell at her. When Harry did, she immediately dropped to the ground with her legs locked together at arms at her sides. By the end of the period, Frau Professor Zemanová had not managed to free herself.

“Er- does anyone know the counterspell?” Harry asked the group.

“I know it, but I’ve never done it,” Malfoy replied. “ _Finite Incantatem.”_ The spell didn’t seem to work, as their professor continued lying on the ground.

“ _Finite Incantatem,_ ” Harry tried. Luckily, Harry’s streak of successful casting continued, and Frau Professor Zemanová was freed from the full-body bind he’d cast.

“I’m impressed, Herr Potter. I hadn’t expected you to be able to put enough power into the spell that I couldn’t overcome it. Class is dismissed. Read chapter one in your books for tomorrow.” The students filed out of the room, many of them watching Harry with varying levels of discretion and attitudes. Harry blushed under the attention.

 

They had break before Potions, which meant the delay in leaving Martial Magic didn’t put them at risk of being late. The Potions professor was a cheerful man from France, Herr Professor Rouzet. “Welcome to Potions class! Over the years in this class, you will learn to brew potions that can be used in the household and in combat – poisons, minor healing potions, and other useful draughts. Before we begin brewing, we are going to practice ingredient preparation techniques. Preparing your ingredients properly is key to brewing a successful potion as the physical condition of the ingredients affects both their physical and magical properties. I realize some of you may have prior tutoring in this subject, so please bear with the rest of us while we catch up. Today we are going to cover the differences between cutting, slicing, and chopping. Observe my demonstration.”

 

Transfiguration was a class Harry was determined to like. He wanted to become an animagus like his father had. However, when Herr Professor Varis told the class they would spend the first several weeks learning theory and the transfiguration alphabet Harry found his patience tested. The professor droned on, making notes on the chalkboard for the students to copy as he talked. He used very little visual aid, and seldom paused to take questions. At the end of class, he assigned reading that Harry was fairly certain would only repeat what he’d lectured on.

 

During mandatory study after dinner, Harry found himself finished with his assignments much more quickly than his peers. In Charms only students who hadn’t managed the levitation charm were assigned work, and Herr Professor Rouzet hadn’t assigned anything for Potions. The readings for History, Transfiguration, and Martial Magic were simple and Harry had already looked at the books before coming to school, so he finished quickly. Stuck in the Great Hall while his peers watched feathers wiggle around under their wands, Harry decided to add to his letter to his Papa. He’d go to the owlery to send it when they were released.

At precisely eight o’clock, Harry asked Binder for directions and went to send his letter. The bird he chose reminded him of the one that had delivered his acceptance letter – large, with sleek black feathers and a surly demeanor.

It was about eight thirty when Harry made it back to his common room. Conversation faltered a bit when he walked in, several of his classmates watching him closely.

“Potter, is it true that you hadn’t cast any of those spells before today?”

“Er- yeah? There’re laws about magic outside of school and my Papa is pretty strict about following the rules. People look down on us enough without messing up, he says.”

“I don’t believe you. There’s no way you could have done as well as you did today without practicing.”

“Well, I did,” Harry replied a bit shortly. He didn’t like that they were suggesting he was a liar.

“Prove it.”

Mia stepped in, then. “He doesn’t have to prove anything. Harry’s talented, and these spells are basic enough. You’re all just jealous.”

The girl who’d challenged Harry looked a bit sheepish being called out, and Harry smiled gratefully at Mia. She waved him over to where she was sitting, and he only hesitated for a moment before joining her.

“Harry, this is Alessa Haltiner and Selma Merkli. They’re both from Switzerland too. Alessa and I grew up together, but I just met Selma yesterday. Girls, this is Harry Potter from England.”

“I know who he is,” Merkli said with a slight edge to her voice.

Mia began to lecture Merkli about jealousy, but Harry had faced enough scorn in his life to recognize that his spellcasting wasn’t the issue. Now, had her family supported Voldemort or was she hostile because she was afraid of him? Harry honestly couldn’t guess here at Durmstrang – he hadn’t heard of Voldemort having much support outside of the UK, but Dark magic wasn’t quite as threatening here either.

When Mia was done, Merkli snapped at her. “You shouldn’t hang out with him, Mia. He’s dangerous.” Mia scoffed. “Well fine, but I’m not going to.”

Merkli stood up and stormed into her dorm room. Harry looked apologetically at Mia, but she cut him off when he opened his mouth. “Don’t be sorry that she’s rude. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Er- okay. Can I ask something?”

“Of course, Harry” Mia smiled sweetly.

“You recognized my name on the train, but you didn’t react badly. That’s sort of the first time that’s happened, and I was wondering what you’d heard about me.”

Mia and her friend made eye contact. It was Haltiner that spoke up. “When you killed Voldemort, the story took some time to spread to Switzerland. People with English relatives eventually started talking about it. Some people bought into what the English papers were saying about you, but most of the magical people there go to school here and are taught to respect Dark magic. I’m the same age as you, so I obviously can’t remember everything that was said but I do know my family thinks that denying a four-year-old a place at school or in society is stupid.”

Harry smiled. “Thanks, Haltiner.”

“Call me Alessa.”

Harry smiled. It was like his Papa said – he could make friends, he’d just have to find the right people. His smile turned into a yawn, and he chuckled. “Thanks for inviting me to sit with you, but it’s been a long day. I know it’s still a bit early, but I think I’m going to bed.”

“Goodnight, Harry!” the two girls chorused as he stood up and took his bag to the dorm.

 

Malfoy was there, the only other boy who’d considered bed before lights out. He made some small talk with Harry. It was stiff, but Harry found some comfort in speaking his first language after operating in German all day. They didn’t talk long before Harry was falling into his bed, asleep almost immediately.

 

The rest of the first week went similarly to Tuesday. Physical Conditioning was flying on Wednesday, calisthenics again on Thursday, and on Friday they used the wizarding weights. In Charms and Martial Magic Harry continued to have immediate success with casting, and then found himself bored until his classmates were ready to move on. While they continued to struggle with the full-body bind and wand lighting charm, Harry found himself moving on in the textbook. It took him a couple of tries to get the wand movement exactly right while he was self-teaching, but the first year spells still came easily to him once he did. On Friday they were able to brew for the first time in Potions – a cure for boils. History of Magic was actually fascinating, especially with the liberal use of animated murals, and Transfiguration continued to be mind-numbingly dull.

On Thursday Harry got a response from his Papa. Harry smiled at the good-natured ribbing he knew came from a place of love. His Papa was proud of him for doing well in classes and for being civil with Malfoy, and happy that he’d made what seemed like a good friend. Harry resolved to write back about how Mia had stood up for him to another girl, and introduced him to Alessa.

On Friday Harry was summoned to a meeting with a professor he didn’t know during mandatory study, which was fine with him since he was still generally underwhelmed with his workload. He did have an essay for History, and the Transfiguration reading required notes, but it was the weekend and Harry doubted his new friends would want his company the entire time.

 

“Have a seat, Herr Potter,” said the man behind the desk. “My name is Herr Professor Arnesen. I teach politics, and I am also the supervising professor for the first through fourth years here.”

“I thought we were supervised by our senior Cadet, sir.”

“That is true. It’s my job to handle anything that the Cadets aren’t qualified to, since they’re also students.”

“Oh. Am I in trouble?” Harry racked his brain, but couldn’t come up with anything he’d done wrong. Unless the professors thought he was cheating in class?

“No, not at all. I wanted to talk to you about your classes. You’re doing unusually well in them.” At the look on Harry’s face, the professor added. “No one is accusing you of foul play. We only want to make sure that you’re being appropriately challenged. How have you felt in class?”

“Well, Charms and Martial Magic have been extremely easy. I get a bit bored after I’ve gotten a spell and no one else has, and I finish the homework really quickly too. Transfiguration has only been theory so far, so I can’t say much about that. Potions and History I’m doing as well as anyone else.”

“Your ease with wand classes suggests that when you move to practicals in Transfiguration, you’ll do just as well. Have your professors done anything extra for you to occupy your extra time?”

“Well, Herr Professor Antanov gave me heavier objects to levitate while we were working on that charm. I don’t expect there’s much he could do about the wand lighting charm. I’ve started working ahead in the textbooks during class when I’ve got spare time, and they don’t seem to mind it as long as I’m not disruptive.”

“I admire your efforts to improve yourself, Herr Potter, but working ahead independently will only serve to increase the problem of your boredom in class in the long term. Don’t look so sheepish, it is the professors’ responsibility to make sure you are being challenged. Typically, it is a responsibility they live up to well, but I cannot remember the last time we had a first year student as talented as you.”

Harry blushed. “Thank you, sir?”

“There is no need to thank me for recognizing your abilities, Herr Potter. Has your accidental magic always been especially powerful?”

“Er- not always. Just after, you know, my parents and-“

“And Voldemort?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ve heard many stories about what happened that night, and not all of them can be true. What magical effects have you experienced?”

“Well, no one could work out exactly how it happened but I absorbed Voldemort’s magical core into my own. Afterward, my accidental magic got really powerful and violent. I learned meditation techniques from my Papa to keep it controlled.”

“Combining an adult wizard’s core with your own would certainly explain the ease you have with basic spells. Most first years, even with experience, struggle to cast at the level that you do not only because they have less raw power but also because their core is not yet fully developed. I’d wager that is not the case for you, Herr Potter. Have you had any symptoms of Dark magic addiction as a result of this absorption?”

“I don’t think so, sir.”

“Very well. I’ll tell the matron to check for any warning signs of it during your yearly physicals to be on the safe side, and I’ll speak with your professors for wand classes about challenging you more. Most spells have a more advanced version that I imagine you could learn easily enough. This may also mean more in-depth assignments for homework. I want you to know that this isn’t a punishment, but Durmstrang looking to help you reach your full potential. I’ll meet with you again about midway through the term to check in and see if we’ve found the right level of challenge for you.”

Harry nodded happily. “Thank you, sir.”

“It’s my pleasure, Herr Potter. I believe mandatory study has ended, so have a pleasant night with your peers.”


	5. Trouble

Their first weekend at school, each student had a mandatory physical with the Matron. Harry and his classmates were given their scheduled time at breakfast and sternly told not to be late. Each of them was scheduled for only twenty minutes, with times back to back. Harry wondered if even that was really enough for the lone Matron to see every student at the school, but decided pragmatically that it must be possible because it happened.

Harry worked on the assignments he hadn’t had time to finish the night before while his friends and classmates had their physicals. Just before lunch, it was his turn.

“Come in Herr Potter,” said the harried Matron Wollen. “Have a seat on the bed. I’m going to start by running a magical scan for any injuries or illnesses.” Matron Wollen waved her wand over Harry’s torso, and after a moment a sheet of parchment was conjured from the tip. She reviewed it quickly. “You are in excellent physical health, Herr Potter. The next scan I do will measure your physical strength and endurance. We are lucky that this can be done quickly.” After a similar scan, Harry’s fitness was rated acceptable, with the expectation that it would improve over time. “Next, it’s been requested that I monitor you for signs of Dark magic addiction. This scan will look at damage or impurities to your magical core.” A third piece of parchment was emitted. “That looks fine, too. No early warning signs as of now, but I will continue to check regularly. Last, stand up and I will record your height and weight.” Height and weight were done manually, rather than with the Matron’s wand. In moments, she was sending him out the door.

 

Harry spent the afternoon playing cards with Alessa and Mia in the Great Hall, looking for a change of scenery from the first year common room. First, they tried to teach him a popular Swiss card game called Jass, but Harry had a hard time catching on. Just as he started teaching them Exploding Snap, Malfoy came and asked to join him. The girls weren’t opposed, so Harry agreed.

 

The afternoon was going well until a group of three older students approached the four, hostile gazes fixed on Harry.

“So now the infamous Potter is a prodigy too? We’ll see how your fancy spellcasting holds up now. _Locomotor mortis._ ”

When the older boy spoke the curse Harry’s legs snapped together and froze, denying him any possibility of escape. As Harry drew his wand to fight back, a girl in the group cast a spell that Harry couldn’t hear, but its purpose was made clear when he suddenly couldn’t breathe. Choking on nothing, Harry couldn’t say a spell. The only defensive spell he’d learned so far, the full-body bind, was useless to him.

“ _Reducto_ ,” said the third student. The blasting curse made contact with his leg, and Harry let out a strangled whimper as he felt the bone break. Just as the first boy was about to cast again, Harry saw Mia come running with Frau Petrov. He hadn’t noticed her leave, but was incredibly grateful for her help.

“ _Finite Incantatem_ ,” Petrov said with a hard tone to her voice. The conditioning instructor had looked intimidating when she taught, but now she looked absolutely dangerous. Harry immediately dropped to the ground, gasping for breath. “I have never been more disappointed. Three fourth years targeting a first year student? Injuring him severely, and on the busiest day of the year for our Matron no less. At least one of you is already on probation. She conjured a stretcher, and levitated Harry onto it. His leg burned with pain from the motion. “Malfoy, take him immediately to the infirmary. On second thought, Haltiner go too. Malfoy looks like he might be in shock.”

Harry glanced at Malfoy and realized she was right. He was paler than usual, staring off into space with his mouth open. Alessa spoke softly to him and took him by the arm, using the second hand to guide the levitating stretcher.

 

When they came through the infirmary doors, Matron Wollen initially began to scold them for interrupting the physical in progress. As soon as she laid eyes on the trio, however, she went to work.

“What’s happened?” she asked briskly.

Alessa answered. “Harry was attacked. Leg locker, choking curse, and a blasting curse to the leg – I think. Draco has been like this since the attackers showed up.”

The Matron immediately summoned a calming draught from her stores and forced it down Malfoy’s throat before running a diagnostic charm on Harry. Within moments, Malfoy had some color in his cheeks again and was breathing normally.

“You’ve got bruising to your throat, Herr Potter, as well as internal bruising to the trachea and your femur is shattered. This is a bruise paste to apply externally, and this potion will help with the internal bruising. Your leg is broken in too many places to mend with a spell, so I’ll have to vanish the bones and regrow them. It’ll take overnight and it’s not pleasant, but tomorrow you’ll be good as new.” Harry took the paste and the potion, silently nodding. His throat still hurt too much to speak. The Matron bustled away, and returned with a second potion before waving her wand to vanish the bones in Harry’s leg. It was an incredibly odd feeling, Harry’s leg visibly deflated and almost seemed to melt into the bed slightly. “This is skelegro. It’s one of the worst tasting potions I use and burns going down, but you’ve got to drink the whole dose.” Harry nodded again and prepared himself mentally before chugging the glass of clear liquid. When it was gone, he shuddered violently. “Good work, Herr Potter. When that starts to work, you’ll feel a prickling pain in the bones that are growing. When it’s nighttime I’ll give you some Dreamless Sleep potion so that you’ll be able to rest through the pain.”

“Thank you, Matron.” Harry’s voice croaked a bit, but the potions for the bruising were already helping and he was able to speak with only a little pain.

“Your friends can stay if they like, but only until dinnertime.” Alessa and Malfoy nodded and took seats next to Harry’s bed.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help,” Malfoy moaned once the Matron had left. “I remembered them. They used to be at the Manor a lot when Father had- associates- over.”

“You mean their families were Death Eaters?” Malfoy only nodded miserably. “It’s not your fault. They’re older, we couldn’t have done much against them. And Mia got help before things got too bad.”

“How are you so calm?” Alessa asked.

Harry grimaced slightly. “I’m used to people hating me. People from both sides of the war. No one’s ever attacked me before, but it’s common knowledge that my Papa is a werewolf and a great dueler, and he’s really protective so that’s probably deterred people.”

“You shouldn’t have to be used to it,” she said adamantly.

“Yeah, but I am.”

“That group have always been bullies, too. They didn’t have wands yet so they used to beat me up. That’s the only reason I remember them from when I was so young.”

Harry nodded, about to say something else, when Mia and Frau Petrov came in. Matron Wollen harrumphed slightly, but didn’t object to the extra people in her space.

“Herr Potter,” Frau Petrov began, “The students who attacked you have been dealt with. The first was on probation and has been expelled, and the other two have been given three months detentions.” At Harry’s nod the instructor left the room, leaving Mia with her friends.

“Are you alright?”

“Been better,” Harry said with good humor. “No bones in my leg right now, so I’ll be here overnight.”

Mia looked like she wanted to poke Harry’s oddly flat leg, but refrained. “I brought the cards. I doubt Matron Wollen would take kindly to explosions, but I thought you might want to give Jass another try if you were stuck here.”

They had to start the teaching over, since Malfoy had never played Jass either, but Harry understood more of the rules the second time. By the time his friends left for dinner, Harry was actually doing decently at the game. Mia and Alessa were still beating him, of course, but he was enjoying something new. After eating, Harry managed to ask the matron for a quill and parchment so he could write home.

_Papa,_

_I’m writing this from the infirmary. I don’t know if the school contacts parents about this sort of thing, but I was attacked by a group of older students this afternoon. They were from Death Eater families, according to Malfoy. They’ve been punished, but I’m trapped here overnight while I regrow my femur. Thank Merlin for magical healing._

_The rest of the week since I wrote to you was fairly boring. The professors don’t seem to know what to do with me when I get the spells right so fast. I had a meeting with the person who supervises the younger students, and he said he will talk to the professors about making sure they challenge me in class and on homework so I’m actually learning. Hopefully that means classes will get more exciting, but I will miss all the free time I’ve had in the evenings._

_Mia and her friend Alessa, who’s my friend now too, taught Malfoy and I how to play Jass. It’s a card game with way too many rules and variations that’s popular in Switzerland. After a full afternoon of it, I finally know how to play. Maybe I could teach you when I see you next._

_How have you been? Is the house as boring as you thought it would be? What do you do all day now that you don’t have me to mother hen?_

_Overall, I’ve been doing well here, this afternoon aside. Ironically, the attack was right after my physical exam where Matron Wollen said I was perfectly healthy. There have been a couple of other kids who don’t like me, like this girl Merkli who Mia rooms with. Mia hadn’t hung out with her since she tried to tell her off for being friends with me. Having people who will stick by me is nice._

_I love you, and I hope you’re doing well,_

_Harry_


	6. First Year

Things went well for Harry after that first week. His professors started giving him work at his level – Harry quickly learned that almost any spell could be made more advanced by adding _duo_ , _tria_ , or _maxima_ to the incantation, but despite the repetitive nature of these advanced spells they did finally give him a similar challenge that his peers were dealing with. For homework, he was often asked to add things about theory to the essays they wrote on practical uses of spells.

Harry did have to dodge hexes in the hallways occasionally, and one hit him every other week or so, but he was never in the infirmary overnight for those. Typically it was a simple counterspell, or a potion that worked within an hour. Other kids continued to be suspicious or resentful to him, but his friends never were so Harry was able to brush them off. The two remaining students from the group that attacked him watched him hatefully whenever they were nearby, but didn’t approach him again.

Midway through the fall term, a classmate Harry barely knew asked him what it was like living with a werewolf. He was clearly expecting Harry to tell him some harrowing tale or say something vile about his Papa. Instead, Harry answered “It’s like living with any other parent who loves me, except I have to have a babysitter once a month. Oh, and I suppose it’s hard to get away with anything since Papa can smell when I’m lying.” The other boy walked away disappointed.

Around the same time, Harry and Draco finally started using each other’s first names. Draco understood better after the attack why Harry was hesitant around him, but assured him that he did want to be friends. His motives weren’t entirely benign – Malfoys tend to gravitate towards power and Draco was predicting that Harry would someday be an unstoppable force – but Harry knew that, and was willing to let it slide as long as Draco was kind to him. It wasn’t like he wasn’t powerful, and if it was going to get him enemies it might as well get him friends, too.

Harry’s Papa was supportive of his friendships, even with Draco, but did say it was unlikely they’d be able to visit over holidays. Two of his friends lived in another country, and the third was a child of a Death Eater. It wasn’t practical or safe, which Harry grudgingly accepted.

 

Christmas came before Harry knew it. Harry and his friends exchanged gifts before leaving school, since Draco was the only one who owned an owl that could handle international delivery of full sized packages. Alessa gave Harry a package of homemade Swiss treats from her parents, and Mia had knitted him a hat and scarf. From Draco, Harry received a new pair of dragonhide boots that were charmed to silence the wearer’s footsteps. Harry grinned as he passed out his gifts – leather bound journals with his friends’ names on the covers in gold. Draco’s was green (as the boy had admitted to a fondness for the color of his family’s Hogwarts house even if he hadn’t gone there), Alessa’s was blue, and Mia’s was purple.

Back at home for the first time in months, Harry found he didn’t want to leave his Papa’s side. Remus smiled indulgently and acted like it was only for Harry’s benefit, but the wolf in him was over the moon to have his cub close again. Letters didn’t bear Harry’s scent or the feeling of his magic or the sound of his voice. The pair stayed up too late drinking hot cocoa, and Harry fell asleep with his head in his Papa’s lap like a much younger child. Remus carefully levitated him to his bedroom and tucked him into bed without waking him.

Christmas day was full of their usual traditions. Remus had never been able to give Harry many material gifts, since he was fairly poor and drawing from Harry’s care fund for gifts would have been improper, but they made up for it in family closeness. Harry gave directions while his Papa charmed the decorations, then they ate sweets for breakfast before opening the gifts they did have. Afterwards, they would sit by the fire with apple cider or cocoa and Remus would tell Harry stories. In the evening, they went to a muggle cinema to see a Christmas-themed film. By the time the day was out, Harry was exhausted and nearly fell asleep on the sofa a second time since coming home.

 

Back at school things passed much the same as they had in the first term, though the closer the school drew to exams the tenser the atmosphere grew. This tension led to Harry being hospitalized overnight again, for something admittedly more minor than his first week. A second year student had seemed to snap under pressure, and jealousy over Harry’s apparent ease in classes, and had cursed him with hives. Typically the cure for this was a quick application of a medicinal paste. However, Harry had a documented allergy to one of the paste’s ingredients. In its place, Matron Wollen had to keep Harry overnight to apply a milder remedy every couple of hours and monitor his healing.

 

Harry passed his exams with flying colors. It had been decided that he would take the same exam as his peers, but the advanced work the professors had designed for him would be available as extra credit for any student who wished to attempt it. This was announced well in advance to give the others a chance to prepare, which some did and some did not.

As they parted for the summer in Stockholm, Harry and his friends promised to write often over the summer. The girls thought they might be able to meet Harry or Draco in Hexengasse to go school shopping when the time came, and all four hoped it would work out. Summer holidays were such a long time to be separated.

 

Harry was excited to see his Papa again. Remus was just as excited to see his cub. The days were so empty while Harry wasn’t around. Remus had tried to get a job after Harry had started school – something to fill his days and keep him fed – but employment laws and prejudices against werewolves kept him at home. It didn’t escape Harry’s notice that his Papa had been steadily dropping weight since he left – at Christmas it was possible to overlook, but in June it was undeniable.


	7. Summer before Second Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this story hasn't updated in forever, my apologies. Not! Abandoned! School started, and then my laptop broke, and then I finally got a new laptop but I was way behind on schoolwork from not having one, and life was just crazy. Hope you enjoy!

Harry spent the beginning of the summer holidays glued to his Papa's side, watching him closely with worry in his eyes. He'd never seen the man so thin or so tired, even after a full moon, and wondered if he was sick. Remus noticed his cub's eyes on him and did his best to act like everything was fine. He wasn't fooling anyone, even though he was starting to put weight back on now, and decided to talk to Harry about it.

Remus sat down on the sofa, and pulled Harry into his side. "We've always had enough to eat and our necessities paid for," Remus started gently, "even if we didn't have plenty of extra." 

Harry nodded his understanding, eyes fixed on his Papa's face.

"The money for those things comes from a fund your parents left behind for your care. That's why there has never been very many presents - it wouldn't be the right way to spend that money." He sighed. "I can't spend that money on myself while you're not here, while you're at school. Your parents wouldn't have minded, they always took care of me even when I didn't want them to, but the Ministry won't allow it."

"You're not eating when I'm gone?" Harry asked frightfully.

"It's not that I'm  _not_ eating," Remus reassured him quickly. "I have some savings that I can spend on myself, and I have been looking for work. Things are just - tighter."

Harry clung to Remus. "I don't have to go away," he mumbled into the werewolf's chest. 

"Of course you do, cub. You like your school, yeah?"

"Yeah," Harry replied almost reluctantly.

"You deserve to go to that school and enjoy yourself. I get by. I only told you this because I don't want you to worry over me. You've been watching me like I'm about to drop dead on you ever since you came home."

"You promise you'll be okay?" Harry asked childishly.

"I promise. Now, let's go for a walk down by the river. It's a beautiful day outside, and the exercise will do us both good."

Harry looked into Remus' eyes, apparently for one last confirmation that he would be okay, and then nodded his agreement and ran to get his shoes.

 

The summer passed easily. Remus put weight back on now that food was readily available, and Harry worried much less after their conversation. A letter from the school arrived a couple of weeks in, and Harry had passed all of his classes with top marks. Durmstrang students were required to take at least one elective course starting in second year, but Harry's high achievement meant he could take up to three if he wanted. After much internal debate, he decided on Politics, Wandless Magic, and Dark Magic courses and left Arithmancy and Ancient Runes by the wayside. Remus was nervous about his decision to take the Dark Magic elective but Harry sensibly pointed out that he had a natural talent for it, and it would be better for him to learn to use it safely than to get into trouble with it later. Remus could only agree.

Harry wrote regularly to Mia, Alessa, and Draco. All three of his friends had also done very well on exams, so he hoped they'd still be in the same group now that they were going into second year and would be divided by achievement. Draco would be taking Politics and Dark Magic with Harry, and the girls were both taking Wandless Magic. In addition to class choices they all wrote about the different adventures they were having at home, and the four friends managed to arrange a date when they could meet at Hexengasse for supplies. 

 

The Lupins and the Malfoys met at the international floo in the Ministry building, but the adults didn't speak to each other even as Harry and Draco energetically caught up. When they stepped into the German Ministry and apparated to Hexengasse, they were met by Mia and Alessa with Mia's parents. Polite introductions were made, and Harry was happy to see that Mia's parents were as nonchalant about meeting him and his Papa as Mia had been nearly a year ago. Then, they were on their way. 

All four children needed new school robes, having shot up like weeds and outgrown their previous ones. From the robe shop, they went to refill on Potions ingredients and then to the bookstore. The shop attendant there saw the scar and hesitated when he purchased the Dark Magic textbook, despite it being a standard book for Durmstrang second years. Harry only held his head carefully even while Remus gave the man a sharp look to hurry him along. 

Afterwards, the kids wanted to get ice cream. Remus gave Harry a few coins to pay, saying he needed to pick something else up and would meet them there. Harry looked carefully at the money in his hand, remembering his Papa's thin frame at the beginning of summer. When it was his turn to order, he got the cheapest menu item - a plain vanilla cone - and pocketed the extra money. 

 

Before leaving for the train station to go to school, Remus gave Harry a bit of pocket money for the train. Harry smiled, then pretended he'd forgotten something just before they left the wards. He ran back inside the house and put half the pocket money, along with his change from ice cream a week before, in the little bowl where Harry knew his Papa kept emergency money. Hopefully, the werewolf would see it and spend it on food this term without realizing it was originally given to Harry.


	8. Second Year

Harry, Draco, Mia, and Alessa quickly found each other on the train to school. There wasn't much catching up to do, since they'd just seen each other in Hexengasse, but Draco took out his chessboard and the other three took turns losing to him. Alessa was deemed the best challenge, and continued playing after Harry and Mia moved on to other pursuits. 

 

School was much the same as it had been in first year. Harry's friends had indeed done well enough on their final exams to stay in the same group with him. He continued to excel in wand classes, and in wandless magic. The time he didn't need for those classes was well-spent on work for his others - Harry had no natural advantage in Politics, Potions, History of Magic, or Physical Conditioning.

Harry also decided to join the extra-curricular Quidditch league during his second year, making his Papa proud when he earned a position as reserve seeker. Draco had also tried out and didn't make it yet, but Harry was gracious about it and the resulting spat between them only lasted a few days. The first team seeker that Harry was working with was Viktor Krum, who Harry remembered meeting in the robe shop during his first trip to Hexengasse. 

Harry spent much less time going to the infirmary this year, having gotten better at dodging hexes and learned a basic shield spell in Martial Magic the year before. He also thought his position with one of the Quidditch teams helped - he wasn't particularly close to any of his teammates, but they got to know him well enough to warn their friends off bothering him. 

Occasionally, Harry would send local treats to his Papa that he bought with the pocket money he'd kept. He told Remus that he just  _had_ to try them, but it was really Harry's way of sending food without damaging his Papa's pride. This way, even if Remus didn't spend the galleons Harry had left behind he would be getting something extra to eat. The sweet treats weren't the best nutritionally, but they would be better than nothing. 

 

Harry went home for Christmas holidays with a mix of eagerness and worry that didn't ease until he saw his Papa at the train station. The werewolf still looked thin and tired like he had the year before, but maybe a little less so. Harry took that as a sign that his plan to keep his Papa fed was working, and resolved to continue his efforts. Remus didn't seem to have caught onto what Harry was doing, either, which he took as a success. 

The holidays were wonderful. Harry asked to go to a few of his old favorite muggle restaurants instead of getting gifts, which worked out well for both members of the family. Remus got a chance to eat larger meals and take home leftovers, and Harry actually had missed the restaurants while he'd been away. Despite Harry not asking for any gifts, Remus did still give him a new terrarium for Scylla. It was larger than the old one, and had plenty of places where she could climb and burrow in addition to better climate-regulation charms. Harry beamed with happiness, and a quickly hissed conversation with the beloved snake confirmed that Scylla liked her new home too. 

Harry left a few coins in the spare change bowl before again when it was time to go back to school, and hugged his Papa tightly before boarding the train.

 

Spring term passed much the same as fall had. Shortly before exams, Harry returned from a solo trip to the library with an expression of deep thought on his face. He sat down with his friends, who were enjoying the free evening playing games, but barely acknowledged their greetings as he continued to think.

It was almost half an hour before he spoke. "When my parents were young, my dad and Papa had a group of close friends. There were four of them, and they called themselves the Marauders."

"I've heard a bit about them," Draco responded as he looked up from his chess game. "My mother and Sirius Black are cousins, you know. She used to talk about him sometimes."

"Hearing the stories, they were the best of friends growing up. They shared a dorm room. Things were tense at first, because of Sirius being a Black and Papa hiding the fact that he was a werewolf, but before long they were all playing pranks together and were practically like brothers. They even all became animagi to help Papa with the full moons. But now Papa is the only one left."

That caught the girls' attention. "What happened?"

"One of them, Peter, was my parents' Secret-Keeper before they were attacked. He betrayed them to Voldemort and got them killed. And then Sirius went after Peter for revenge and murdered him. Thirteen muggles got caught in the crossfire, and Sirius went to Azkaban."

"Thats..."

"Yeah. There's no words for it, really."

"What's got you thinking about it, now?" Draco asked.

"I was doing research on different kinds of bindings in the library, and I came across the one that the Marauders used - a sort of brotherhood binding. Also, they kind of reminded me of the four of us."

"I can see that, in a distant sort of way," Alessa said. "Four close friends who met at school. The name Potter has become almost as well-known as the name Black, but it hasn't stopped us all being friends. We don't play pranks, but I imagine discipline is less strict where they went to school."

Harry nodded. "It scares me. I don't think any of you would ever do something like Peter or Sirius did, but the Marauders never thought it would happen either."

"What's so bad about what Black did?" Mia asked, and Harry's expression turned hard.

"He left us. Papa and I needed him, and he left to get revenge. And- Papa won't talk much about him or when he left, but I was old enough to remember the shouting. He left because of my magic."

"Oh."

"Yeah. It just made me think - they all bound themselves together, and it still fell apart. It seems like if they were going to go to the trouble, they should have used a more significant binding."

"What, like an Unbreakable Vow?" Alessa responded, half joking.

Harry cocked his head. "What's an Unbreakable Vow? I mean, besides that you can't break it. I got that part."

"You haven't heard of it?" Draco asked incredulously.

"I've been kind of isolated," Harry responded with a shrug. "Papa's the only person I've ever spent much time with. The Weasley family looks after me for full moons, but they don't like me much and just leave me be when I'm there. I don't think any of them have ever mentioned it."

"It's a magical vow made in three parts," Alessa answered, "and if you break it you die."

"Just like that?" Harry asked, eyes wide.

"There's a sort of warning built in," she added. "If you're considering doing something that would break the Vow, your hand burns where the binding sits. But yeah, if you go through with it after that, then you die."

"You have to word them carefully, though," Draco added. "It's like a contract - sometimes there are loopholes to get out of it, and if you're not specific enough then the Vow could cover a lot more than you actually wanted it to."

There was a moment of silence as the four friends considered that. Mia was the one to break it. "We should all make an Unbreakable Vow."

Hesitantly Harry asked, "You think so?"

Mia nodded. "You're scared, right? That's why you brought this up in the first place." Harry bit his lip, then nodded. "It wouldn't be that different than what the Marauders did, just more significant. Just like Harry said they should have done. And it's not like any of us are going to hurt each other. This is just a fail safe."

"You guys don't have to- It's not-" Harry sighed. "I know I have some trust issues. Seeing my Papa all alone, and the way he and I are treated in Britain, it would be hard not to. But that doesn't mean we have to do something like this. It seems like a really big deal, and I don't want any of you to die because of a mistake."

Draco and Alessa, who hadn't made a sound since Mia suggested making the Vow, looked at each other in silent conversation. With a nod, Mia spoke up. "We should do it. You're our friend, and it would take away the fear for you of the four of us ending up like your parents' friends. It's worth it."

"Really?"

"We just have to word it very carefully," Draco agreed. His tone of voice said it was already settled, and it seemed that it was. The four of them immediately went to work drafting the Vow, sharing different wording ideas with each other to find something that would keep them all secure in their friendship without backfiring. When they had something they could agree on, they locked themselves in a private study room to ensure they wouldn't be disturbed.

One by one, each of them made the Vow to each other. They all agreed to make the Vow to Harry first, since this was for his peace of mind. The four friends made three Vows each, each of them acting as Bonder three times. 

"Do you swear to always listen to me and consider what I have to say to the best of your ability?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to support me while I work towards my future goals?"

"I do."

"Do you swear never to intentionally hurt or betray me?"

"I do."

The four were all exhausted from the strain of binding the Vows, but Harry was visibly more relaxed. He now carried three Unbreakable Vows, signifying unbreakable friendships. With those vows, he carried a new sense of security in his relationships. That new sense of security carried the four friends happily through exams, and all the way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first Unbreakable Vows are made. Pretty innocent, right? But the pieces of the Dark Lord Harry Potter are coming together.
> 
> Powerful magic user? Check.  
> Education in the Dark Arts? Check.  
> Trust issues and a jaded worldview? Check.  
> A strong desire to help those he deems important? Check.  
> Willing to bind others to himself in a significant magical Vow? Check.
> 
> I was initially going to have the Unbreakable Vows happen much earlier in the term/chapter, but decided this was a good ending point for the year. Dramatic and all that. I also considered having them be interrupted after giving their Vows to Harry, so that it was unbalanced in his favor, but decided I wanted to keep things more innocent while they're still so young. Besides, it will be interesting watching Harry as a Dark Lord working around any moral issues his friends raise later on.


	9. Summer before Third Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gone back and added chapter titles to this fic. I didn't use them originally because I couldn't think of anything creative and interesting, but I realized my mistake when I was trying to reference back to an earlier chapter and had to look through the whole story to find what happened. Luckily this fic isn't very long yet, but I think later on it will be. So, you're getting uninspired chapter titles from here on out.

Harry returned to the home with top marks once again. Only Politics had given him any trouble this year - not because it was too difficult, but because he found himself frustrated by the way wizarding governments were structured. After just a year, Harry was wondering if there way any way he could ever make a difference, when power seemed to be passed down in families rather than earned. Harry had asked his Papa and found out that the Potters didn't have a seat on the Wizengamot or a history of political involvement. The family's money had kept them reasonably important, but not enough to outweigh Harry's abysmal reputation in wizarding Britain. Harry's frustration with the subject had led to him questioning the professor harshly and not doing his best in the class. Remus was clearly proud of Harry anyway.

 

Harry noticed his Papa was distracted by something as they traveled home from the Ministry, and asked him about it as soon as they crossed the threshold of their little house. 

"I noticed some extra money in my spare change bowl, Pup. Not too much - just a few galleons - but I never put anything larger than a sickle in the dish. Do you know where the money came from?"

Harry blushed, and considered trying to plead ignorance before remembering his Papa would catch him out. "I put it there," he mumbled. "It was some extra pocket money I didn't need."

Remus frowned. "I thought it might be, but it seemed almost as much as I gave you. Did you keep any for yourself?"

"A little," Harry responded defiantly. 

Sighing, Remus took a seat on the sitting room sofa and pulled his pup in close. "Why did you leave your pocket money here? I know you can buy things on the train and at school."

"I wanted you to have it."

"Why was that?"

"I was- worried. After what you told me last summer. That you don't get anything from the vaults when I'm gone. I wanted to try to give you some extra money for food because I was worried about you."

Remus couldn't resist pulling his pup into a hug, then. "You're a very thoughtful child, Harry. I don't think I tell you that often enough. But it's my job to to make sure you have what you need, not the other way around. That pocket money is for you, because I want you to have it."

"I can't just _not_ worry. I know you said you were getting by, but you were so thin." 

"I have savings-"

"That I know you spend on me sometimes, too. My broom and Scylla's tank didn't come from the allowance from the Ministry."

"How can you be sure about that?"

"Because if the Ministry was giving you enough money to buy those things, they wouldn't be so rare. We'd have more presents and stuff every year. Not that I mind!" Harry hurried to add. "Our holidays are always really special. But those gifts were different."

Remus sighed even more heavily than he had before. "Can't slip anything by you. Yes, sometimes I do spend part of my savings on you. But that's a choice that I make as an adult, and I check that I'll be able to afford it before I do."

"But what if you stop being able to get by? I don't wanna lose you, Papa."

"You won't lose me," Remus said as he pulled Harry into a tighter hug. "I'm not going anywhere. And you don't need to worry about me. I'm still finding work sometimes while you're at school, and I've started to write a book that I'm going to try to get published to earn some more money. I can take care of us both."

Harry wordlessly held onto Remus, allowing the soothing words to sink in. 

 

Throughout the rest of the summer, Remus made a show of working on his book where Harry could see, and only got Harry a cake for his birthday. Harry knew it was for his own benefit that he was working so obviously but it helped him to worry less, so he didn't complain. There was no group trip to Hexengasse this year, since the only date the others could make it fell too close to the full moon. Instead, Harry and his Papa went to the shops the day before the train was due to leave and spent the night at an inn near the train station. The time apart only made Harry more eager to see his friends again on the train, leaving Remus amused at the twelve-year-old's obvious excitement. The two waved goodbye to each other happily through the window as the train left for Durmstrang. 


	10. Third Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been way too long since I've updated this story. Life has been insane, and my Plot Bunnies have been breeding like, you know, bunnies. It's been suggested that I house them segregated by sex to prevent breeding, but that doesn't seem to be working. Maybe they reproduce asexually?
> 
> I considered splitting this into two chapters because it was so much longer than my others in this fic, but I don't want to slow down the pace until I know I'll be able to do it consistently for every year.
> 
> At any rate, here's a chapter! I don't intend to abandon any of my stories, but this is the one that has the most subscriptions so rest assured that it's safe even when updates take ages.

After the first years were formally introduced, Headmaster Karkaroff stood to make an announcement. Immediately, he had the full attention of the student body. Not only were respect for authority and discipline key expectations at Durmstrang, but this was highly unusual. The Headmaster gave a lecture to the first years before they were introduced, and then the Senior Cadets gave further instructions to their charges after dinner. 

"Welcome to another year at our illustrious institution," he said proudly to them all. "This year, as an experiment as well as a test of our students' prowess, Durmstrang Institute will be conducting a special, year-long event." A few first years began whispering before Frau Petrov silenced them with a hard look. "This event will be a dueling tournament. The tournament will follow the rules of the International Dueling Circuit, and registration is open to any student in fifth through eighth years. Students in fourth year or below may register for the tournament with approval from Herr Professor Arnesen, who is the overseer for these students. The tournament will use a double-elimination format. Duels will be open for all students to observe, and representatives from the International Dueling Circuit will attend at their leisure. Families of the competitors will be invited once the tournament has been reduced to twenty participants. Those who wish to register should speak with the Professor who supervises their year group within the next week."

Karkaroff gave no well-wishes for the year or invitation to eat as he sat down, but the students didn't expect him to.

"Are you going to register, Harry?" Draco asked as soon as the students had served themselves.

Harry grinned. "Is that even a question?" Then he hesitated. "If Arnesen lets me. I didn't exactly make a good impression on him in Politics last year."

"You've worked with him before though," Mia said to Harry. "He knows you're a brilliant student, even if his course isn't your best."

"Yeah, you're at the top of our year," Alessa added. "He'd be daft not to let you compete."

"Thanks," Harry said, grinning once more. "Are any of you going to do it?"

Draco and Alessa immediately shook their heads, which wasn't surprising. Both were intelligent, and highly competent students. They'd been near enough the top of the class to stay in Harry's group the last two years, after all, but both were less suited to combative magic. Draco was a tactician, which had its uses in dueling, but Draco would do better as a commander than a fighter. The fact that none of his friends could beat him at chess was proof. Alessa's brilliance lay in her creativity. She made no secret of her intent to register for the Experimental Magic class once they reached fifth year. Harry's Papa had said that if she went to Hogwarts she'd surely be a Ravenclaw. 

"I might," Mia said. Mia was the one who most often paired with Harry when they practiced in Martial Magic. While no one their age could match Harry for raw power, given that he'd absorbed the magical core of an adult wizard at just four years old, but she was powerful for their age, very physically fit, and could think quickly on her feet. 

"You should," Harry told her. "It'll be more fun doing it with a friend."

 

The first day of classes, Harry was summoned to see Herr Professor Arnesen during mandatory study. 

"Come in, Herr Potter."

Harry entered the office, and stood by the desk until the professor nodded for him to sit. "What do you need from me, sir?"

"I am registering you for the Dueling Tournament, Herr Potter. You may only be a third year, but it would be a travesty if you did not compete."

"Thank you, sir. I'd planned to approach you about entering."

"Very good. The tournament will begin next Saturday at eight a.m., and you'll know when your duels are by Friday night." Harry nodded his understanding. "The second reason I have called you here is to discuss my own course with you."

Harry grimaced. "I'm sorry, sir."

"I know you are an excellent student, Herr Potter, and do well when challenged. None of your other professors have ever complained except to say that you learn too quickly. Why, then, did you struggle to comport yourself appropriately?"

"I found myself frustrated, sir. My family has been targeted by the British Ministry for as long as I can remember, so I want to do something to change it. I just feel like it might not be possible in my situation."

"Where there is a will, Herr Potter, there is always a way. Work on your self-control in my course this year. I know you can be better."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"You may go."

 

Seventy-two students had registered for the tournament. Harry was surprised at the low number, since Durmstrang placed a heavy emphasis on combative magic. Only about a quarter of the students in the upper years were participating, plus seven fourth years, Harry, and Mia. But then, Harry supposed, there would be students like Draco and Alessa in every group and year, and students who were on probation had been barred from competing. Then, while Harry found the idea of being observed by International Duelists exciting, others may find it intimidating or want to keep a lower profile. 

The duels were scheduled for fifteen minutes each, but ended when one duelist was unable to continue. If anyone lasted the full time without a winner, a draw would be declared. With five minutes to transition between duels, the first two rounds would take twelve hours. Mealtimes were being extended to allow competitors and spectators to eat as the tournament schedule allowed. After the first two rounds, it would depend on how many competitors had been eliminated. 

The International Dueling Circuit's rules stated that proper dueling etiquette must be observed, and banned both physical contact and lethal force, as well as spells that were illegal in the hosting country. A competitor was ruled unable to continue if they could no longer cast, determined when they were unconscious or had cast no spells for a full minute. Being disarmed didn't necessarily disqualify someone, as they could use wandless magic or recover their wand.

Harry's first duel was scheduled for 9:15, and Mia's for 12:30. Harry was glad they weren't facing each other. He knew they likely would at some point, and had no issues with dueling his friend, but he wanted them both to last as long as possible before being eliminated and that would be difficult if only one of them could win a round.

 

Harry and Mia both won their first round. Harry had disarmed his opponent within five minutes, throwing his wand beyond the limits of the dueling platform, and the older boy was unable to use wandless magic. The boy, Chajka, had been shocked when Harry's spell broke through his shield. People had talked about Harry's unusually high power levels and the speed at which he learned new spells since his first year, but those who had never seen him cast had been dubious.

In the second round, a week after the first, Harry faced an opponent who favored dodging spells over shielding against them. It made for more of a challenge for Harry, since he couldn't shatter the shield as he had against Chajka. Eight minutes in, Harry transfigured the platform into ice while his opponent was mid-jump. Her feet slid out from under her when she landed, and Harry broke through the hastily-erected shield before stunning her. Mia lost her second round when her opponent used a bone-breaking curse to shatter her wand arm. The only wandless spell Mia was reliably proficient in was the summoning charm - useful for getting her wand back, but not for fighting when she couldn't hold the tool.

"I could have summoned  _her_ wand," Mia said in a moment of bitter realization while Matron Wollen healed her.

While they weren't dueling, Harry and Mia watched as many of their competitors as they could manage. It was difficult to decide when to take breaks to eat and do assignments - the younger competitors were the ones they were more likely to face in the early rounds since the organizers were matching duelists based on age and class rank, but the duels between seventh and eighth year students were like works of art. Draco and Alessa watched a few duels, including their friends', but spent most of the competition days elsewhere. They'd watch the later rounds, they promised, which would surely be more exciting anyway.

 

Harry lived up to his promise to Andesen to behave better in Politics, relying on calming breaths and snarky additions to his notes to get by without making disrespectful comments to the instructor. Draco made a habit of reviewing Harry's notes after class just for the comedic value.

 

"Dark Magic is your favorite class, isn't it?" Mia asked Harry one day at lunch. Harry had just come from the course, and was excitedly discussing the day's lesson with Draco. They'd learned the  _flagrante_ curse, which made objects searing hot when touched, and Harry was interested in the idea of incorporating the spell into security measures.

"Yeah," Harry told her, feeling like he was admitting to something. "Is that terrible?"

"No," she quickly assured him. "You're learning to use it responsibly, and you're good at it. There's nothing wrong with liking something you're good at."

It was true. While Harry had always learned magic easily, and their classes had yet to challenge him at their standard levels, Dark spells flowed from his wand like expertly woven silk. It was most likely because Voldemort had been so attuned to Dark Magic, and the Basilisk scale core in his wand certainly didn't make it _more_ difficult.

 

Only two competitors had lost both their first and second rounds, so the third took nearly as long when it was scheduled in November.

Harry and Mia both won their duels again.

Harry won by using a wandless  _expulso_ curse after being disarmed. His opponent, a boy in fifth year, probably knew that he was capable of wandless magic - many of the competitors had been researching the competitions, and it wasn't difficult to find out that Harry had gotten top marks in the course during his second year - but probably hadn't expected the third year to be able to cast a strong, fairly violent curse wandlessly.  _Expulso_ could be used to shatter objects, or to fling a person backwards. Once Harry's opponent was on the ground, Harry summoned his wand back to him and ended the duel. He could have stunned the boy wandlessly as well, but decided it was better not to display exactly how much he could do while disarmed. 

Mia had remembered her ability to summon an opponent's wand. Her failure to use any wandless magic in the first two duels had seemingly lulled her opponent into thinking that he'd won once she was disarmed. The rule requiring a full minute for a conscious person to continue casting after being disarmed was strictly followed, however, and Mia summoned the wand neatly from her opponent's loose grip.

His overconfidence had given her the perfect opportunity, and caused him to be eliminated from the tournament with his second loss. He was one of seventeen people eliminated that round.

Unfortunately for him, his wand had a core of Billywig stinger. Billywig wands were notoriously fickle, and its loyalty had shifted firmly to Mia when she took it in battle. Her opponent, a Swede by the name of Westermark, approached her the next day to give her the wand before being taken by his year's overseeing professor to replace it. He was clearly unhappy with the result - not unsurprising, given how personal a wizard's wand could be - and Harry made a note to watch out for him. Mia didn't have the infamy that Harry did, but association could be a tricky thing and an unhappy wizard who was also a proficient dueler could be dangerous.

 

In his Wandless Magic course, Harry had turned his full attention to spells that would be useful for the dueling tournament.

The class was structured as a guided self-study. Each spell that a person learned to do wandlessly had to be studied individually - wandless magic was not a talent that one had or did not have - so Frau Professor Mattson allowed each of her students to choose which spell they wanted to work on at any given time and to work at their own pace. The only restriction was that the spells needed to be ones the students had already learned with a wand. Because wandless magic was difficult and highly individualized, the number of spells the students could do wandlessly didn't factor into their grades. The practical portion of the class' final exam was replaced with a year-long participation score. It was this system that allowed Mia to score as well in the course with her one reliable wandless spell as Harry did with six.

The spells Harry could do wandlessly were  _lumos_ , _nox,_ the levitation charm, the first-year shield spell,  _expulso_ , and the unlocking charm. He'd been planning to try some Transfiguration this year, until the dueling tournament was announced. Now he was determined to learn spells useful for combat. 

He focused on the harsher curses rather than protective charms or mild jinxes - the Darker the spell, the easier it seemed to be for him to cast, and these spells were more useful in a serious duel anyway. 

 

Round four of the dueling tournament was held at the beginning of December, and saw another eighteen eliminations. It also saw Harry's first loss. 

His wandless magic capabilities no longer in question, Harry's opponent hit him with an unfortunately familiar spell. The choking curse. It was on the third year syllabus in Dark Magic, but they hadn't gotten to it just yet. Not that knowing how to cast the curse would have helped in this situation.

Just like when he'd been targeted by this curse in his first year, it felt as though a noose was wrapped around his neck. Based on the bruising he'd ended up with that day, there likely was a force constricting his airways from the outside. Maybe it should be called a strangulation curse.

Harry realized his mind was wandering, possibly a side-effect from the lack of air, and focused on the situation. It had been at least fifteen seconds since the curse was cast, and it seemed his opponent was going to hold it for the full minute to win the round. Not a bad strategy.

Desperately, Harry turned his wand on himself and tried to cast the general counterspell. While being strangled - a more accurate term than choked, really - he couldn't draw a breath or speak. Silent casting wasn't something he'd ever tried - they wouldn't be expected to do that for  _years_ \- and he wasn't lucky enough for it to work. The curse wasn't released until the judges had called the duel, at which point Harry needed to be seen by Matron Wollen to get treatment for the bruising to his throat.

Mia won her duel as well, happily. She'd taken advantage of her physical fitness, dodging and weaving until the duel was practically a dance and wearing her opponent out. It was a useful strategy, but it had also been a gamble. Every student at Durmstrang took daily physical conditioning, after all.

 

Harry spent most of the Christmas holidays excitedly recounting his favorite duels - both his own and those he'd watched - to his Papa. He'd written to him about the tournament in detail, of course, but that wasn't quite the same as  _telling_ the stories. Even with those that were repeated, his Papa listened with nearly as much enthusiasm as Harry spoke. "If I make it to the top twenty, when families are allowed to visit, will you come watch me?"

"Of course I will." Remus sounded almost offended that Harry felt the need to ask.

The excitement and storytelling was almost enough to distract Harry from Remus' pale skin and the way Harry could feel his ribs when they hugged. For two and a half years now, his Papa had spent more time not getting enough to eat than he had been well-fed, and Harry hated it. 

"How is your book coming?" Harry asked, while laying on the couch across his Papa's lap.

"Well," Remus answered mildly. "I've sent it off to a few publishers in the last couple of weeks. None of them have purchased it yet, but it's still early."

Harry frowned a bit. "I hope they buy it soon."

"Me too, Pup."

They were both silent for awhile. "Are you sure I can't help you?"

"Yeah, Pup. Your money is yours. I won't take it from you."

"I don't like it."

 

Round five of the dueling tournament was scheduled for the first week back. With that to look forward to, Harry was as excited to go to school as he had been to go home two weeks previously. It was in this round that Harry and Mia finally faced each other. Both of them already had one loss, so only one would be able to go on. While he hadn't wanted to duel Mia right away, now he wished they'd been paired up while the stakes weren't quite so high.

Their duel was fierce.

Mia and Harry had been dueling each other in class and for practice for two and a half years, so they knew each others' abilities and strategies well. Harry usually won when they faced off, but not always, and this was the most serious duel they'd ever had.

Harry didn't draw his wand immediately. In the dueling holster his Papa had bought him, it was safe from summoning and disarming spells, and Harry could outdo Mia easily if they were both using wandless magic. Unfortunately, Mia knew that Harry couldn't cast  _expelliarmus_ wandlessly yet, so she had no issues drawing her own wand. She pelted him with a rapid fire of low-level spells while dancing across the platform with ease, the same way she'd won the previous round. Harry was no slouch when it came to agility, however, as a seeker, and he kept pace with her well enough. The spells she was casting were also generally weak enough for his wandless shield, which he hadn't been able to rely on in his previous duels. 

Harry used  _expulso_ and the conjunctivitis curse in a roughly alternating pattern - his two best wandless spells for combat. Neither struck their mark, but Mia's full-body binds, knockback jinxes, and other hexes were no more effective.

The duel had been going on for thirteen minutes without pause in either combatants casting or dodging when Harry flicked his wrist to launch his wand from the holster and fired the disarming charm. Mia was caught by surprise by the new spell, and it connected. Knowing she could easily summon  _either_ of their wands, he quickly followed up with  _petrificus totalus_ , binding her from head to toe with the first year spell.

Two years previously, the Martial Magic instructor hadn't been able to free herself from Harry's full-body bind. Mia didn't have a chance.

 

Late January, the extra vigilance Harry had kept since the third task proved worthwhile. Westermark approached Mia from behind during the afternoon break and attempted to hit her with a bone-breaking curse from behind. Unsure if his shield would be strong enough to stop the curse - Westermark was a sixth year - and unwilling to risk his friend having a broken rib or  _spine_ if he failed, Harry grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down. They both collapsed to the floor, the curse sailing over their heads and striking another student's arm. Draco and Alessa had both pulled their wands as soon as they realized what was happening, and simultaneously hit him with full-body bind spells. 

Frau Professor Zemanová noticed the commotion, and was absolutely livid when she heard what had happened. After ensuring that the student hit by the curse could walk to the infirmary under her own power, she immediately had the four friends accompany her while she levitated the petrified Westermark to Headmaster Karkaroff's office.

It was the first time Harry had seen it. Karkaroff's office was spartan in its furnishing and essentially undecorated, so Harry didn't think he'd missed out.

Westermark was placed on probation and given two months' detentions. He was also sent to the infirmary to be scanned for signs of Dark Magic addiction, given his choice to default to such a vicious curse when taking revenge on an unaware, younger student.

 

There were twenty-three people still competing in round six, held in February, and Harry desperately wished three more had been eliminated last month. His opponent for this round had gone undefeated so far, and Harry didn't like his chances.

He was determined, however, to make it to the top twenty duelers. Durmstrang didn't often invite guests, and this might be the only way his Papa got to see the school before Harry graduated.

As soon as the duelers bowed, Harry was firing. His only hope, he thought, would be to keep this opponent on the defensive. Harry had watched him duel in previous rounds, and he deserved his perfect record. Harry's onslaught of spells and curses - no minor jinxes involved, this time - did its job in preventing his opponent making any offensive moves. His defense, however, was as strong as his offense. The shields he'd cast held up easily under Harry's curses.

Harry funneled more power into his spells. No one could match him in raw power. No one else had two full magical cores the way he did. 

Harry could see the opponent sweating with the effort of keeping up his defense, but still couldn't land a spell. He went Darker. _Expulso_ and  _reducto_ became bone-breakers and choking curses.

The shield began to crack.

More power. It was Harry's only option. He wasn't sure he'd ever cast this desperately before - wasn't sure he ever would again. The onslaught he kept up against his opponent's defenses was brutal, but exhausting. He couldn't manage it much longer.

The shield fell.

Harry's opponent quickly cast his own offensive spell - a blasting curse - but Harry didn't pause in his own attacks. The blasting curse hit Harry at the same time a bone-breaker struck. Harry hit the ground, but kept hold of his wand. He  _would_ make the top twenty. A disarming charm ensured his opponent had lost his wand, and a second bone-breaker - to the leg - kept him from retrieving it. 

Harry won.

Both combatants ended up in the infirmary afterward. Harry's leg was severely bruised, swollen, but miraculously not broken. His opponent had to have the bones of his leg vanished for re-growth, causing Harry to wince in sympathy, and needed a sling to ensure his shoulder had time to fully heal from the first bone-breaker after Matron Wollen had set and healed it. 

Harry worried his opponent would be upset that he'd fought so viciously - Harry wasn't sure how he felt about it, honestly - but the other boy only smiled and congratulated him on a fight well-done. 

 

_Papa,_

_I made it!_

_There are sixteen people going on to Round Seven of the dueling tournament, and I'm one of them. No one is undefeated at this point, so it's essentially single elimination now._

_There's less than three hours worth of duels left, so the rest of the rounds are going to be held on the same day. It'll be on the twenty-second of April at one o'clock. I already checked, and that's practically the new moon, so you shouldn't have any trouble with the traveling._

_The fact that the next round is almost two months away is for another reason, too. Almost everyone in the tournament needs recovery time. Things are getting intense. I'm not sure if I'll make it past the next round, I only got this far because I put as much power as I could manage into the two strongest spells I know. It won't work again._

_I'm not hurt, by the way. I mean, I took a blasting curse to the leg, but nothing was broken. I'm just supposed to rest for a day or two until it stops being tender._

_I can't wait to see you and show you my school, Papa._

_I love you,_

_Harry_

 

 

Remus arrived with the other competitors' families at nine o'clock on the appropriate day. Harry greeted his Papa enthusiastically, but with more restraint than he ever showed at the train station when coming home for holidays. Remus was concerned at first by how much less relaxed the kids were at school - in military-like uniforms, at a school focused on discipline and combat - but quickly realized that they were still happy and friendly with each other. There was just a different standard for behavior at Durmstrang than in the other places he'd seen them interact.

After Harry reacquainted his Papa with his friends, since the man hadn't seen any of them in almost two years, the four young people gave him a tour of their school. Durmstrang Institute's castle was four stories, nestled between a mountain range and a lake. No one present was entirely sure which mountains or lake they were looking at - the Institute's precise location was a well-guarded secret even to them - but the landscape was beautiful. Outside the castle were the training grounds, consisting of a track and an open field where students had their Physical Conditioning classes, and the Quidditch pitch, where the dueling platform was set up for each round of the tournament.

Inside, the first floor included the Great Hall, the Infirmary, and Headmaster Karkaroff's office. The second and third floors were classrooms and offices, and Harry was able to introduce his Papa to several of his professors as they passed in the hall. The fourth floor was student dormitories, which the kids described to Remus in detail but weren't able to show him. 

The full building was clean and orderly - very few portraits or tapestries could be found on the walls, and those that were present were neatly arranged and depicted serious subjects. Even inside, most of the students, staff, and family members wore their winter cloaks. The fireplaces at Durmstrang were only lit for magical purposes, not for warmth or ambiance, and they were far enough north that even at the end of April it was uncomfortably cold. 

At lunch, the usual eight square tables for eight year groups had been replaced with numerous smaller ones, presumably to account for the additional people and allow tournament competitors to share the meal with their families. Harry, Remus, Mia, Alessa, and Draco joined Viktor Krum and his parents at one. Harry and Krum rarely spoke outside of their interactions on the Quidditch team - where Harry was still the reserve seeker for Krum's team - but the table seated the eight of them well and the atmosphere was friendly despite the competition currently between Harry and Krum.

 

After lunch, it was time for the tournament. Remus gave Harry a hug and his friends gave him well-wishes before they headed into the stands with the other observers and Harry made his way to the tent that had been set up for the duelers. In the tent, they were given their assignments for the first round of the day - round seven overall. Harry was set to go second, against none other than Viktor Krum. 

Harry had known as soon as it was announced that his chances were slim. Krum was a brilliant dueler, as strong with his wand as he was on a broom, even if he looked more awkward on the ground. Harry knew he'd only made it as far as he had out of a combination of luck, his opponents' underestimations of him, and desperation. Now that his Papa was here at his school, had seen the halls and classrooms where he spent so much of his time, Harry wasn't nearly so desperate to win. He  _wanted_ to, of course, he didn't want to be eliminated in the first round of the tournament where his Papa was there to watch, but it would be a result he could live with. 

It was something Harry had to live with, in the end. In Harry's duel against Krum both displayed a wide range of tactics and an impressive amount of power. Both fought viciously, but less violently than had been the status quo in round six. Whoever won would have to duel again in just a few hours, after all, and not in a month or two.

Harry may have been able to win if he used the same tactics as he had in the previous round, overwhelming Krum with raw power, but it certainly wouldn't have been a guarantee and in all honesty he didn't want to win that way. That win, while it had served to get Harry into the next round and allow his Papa to visit, hadn't been about skill, or luck, or creativity. All it had demonstrated was Harry's power, which he already knew he had. It hadn't been fun. So Harry relied on his other dueling skills, and he lost because of it.

After the duel, Krum shook Harry's hand, and when Harry reached his friends and his Papa in the stands, Remus told him he was proud. Harry didn't care that he'd lost.

 

Harry watched the rest of the duels with the others. Remus would be there for the whole day, after all, and it wasn't as if there were any other activities available to them. By this point, Harry had seen the rest of the duelers still in the competition battle several times each, but this time he was watching it for pure enjoyment rather than for information.

 

"Mr. Potter-Lupin," said an unfamiliar voice. It was the break before the final round - forty-five minutes to allow the duelers time to rest.

Harry turned to face the speaker, a woman with olive skin and dark hair who could have been anywhere between thirty and fifty. Witches aged very gracefully. "Yes, Ma'am?"

"My name is Lucía Cambeiro. I am from the Spanish branch of the International Dueling Circuit." Harry's eyes widened, and his breath caught in his throat for a moment. "I watched several of your duels. You are very talented." She spoke in accented, but proficient English.

"Thank you, Ma'am." Harry was practically glowing from the unexpected praise. 

"Remind me of your age, Mr. Potter-Lupin?"

"I'm twelve, Ma'am. I'll be thirteen this summer."

She nodded. "As I had thought. My home country is hosting the Circuit's Under Fourteen competition this summer. This is your formal invitation to register."

Harry's eyes widened further. He was sure he must look like a gaping fish.

"My name is Remus Lupin, and I'm Harry's guardian," Remus said, holding out his hand to Cambeiro to shake. She returned the gesture evenly. "If Harry is interested in competing this summer, I'm happy to allow it. Is there someone I can send an owl to once he and I have discussed it, to inquire about the financial and administrative aspects?"

"Indeed, Mr. Lupin." She handed him a card, which he tucked into his pocket. "I do hope to see you both this summer."

Before Harry could recover his speech, Cambeiro was gone. 

 

The rest of term would have been incredibly dull without the dueling tournament, if it weren't for exam preparation. The professors all reminded the third years that the next school year would be the first time they took government exams.

The Special Placement for Early Level Learner exams, or SPELLs, were created and distributed by the International Confederation of Wizards' educational office, and could be treated as the equivalent of the British Ministry's OWL exams or the lower-level exams administered by any magical government in an ICW country. Durmstrang chose to administer these international exams rather than their own because the student body was made up of so many different nationalities.

The next time the students took exams like these would be the Woeful Advanced Nasty Daunting exams, the WANDs, at the end of their eighth year, which could replace the British NEWTs. Harry had wondered at the name when he'd first heard about the WANDs, wondering why the ICW gave the exams such a foreboding name, and if they hadn't been reaching a bit to find a usable acronym. 

But aside from the increase in homework, SPELLs and WANDs were a worry for next year.


	11. Summer before Fourth Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short, which could be a kind of whiplash after the obscenely long last chapter, but I didn't have it in me to write any more duels just yet and the people Harry met at the Circuit won't become important to him until he's older so there wasn't much relationship building to do. Plus, this chapter fought the hell out of me. Next one should be about the length of the chapters that came before.

"Can I do it? Is it arranged?" Harry excitedly asked his Papa as soon as they met up in Stockholm Central Station.

Remus chuckled at his cub's enthusiasm. "You're sure you're not tired of dueling after this year?"

"No," Harry said, shaking his head vigorously. "It's  _brilliant_ , and I was reading up on the Junior Dueling Circuit after the tournament ended. It isn't only competition, there's also workshops - lessons in dueling, to help you get better, taught by previous champions from the Circuit."

"And you think you need lessons? I'm sure you were at the top of your class again this year."

Harry nodded absently. Exam results would be posted later in the summer, but it was likely. "I can always get better. We have _real_ exams next year, and sooner or later the difficulty of the work is going to catch up to me and my extra power won't give me an advantage anymore, so it's no excuse to slack off. Can I do the Under Fourteen competition?"

"It's all arranged," Remus confirmed with a smile. "We'll be taking the International Floo from the Ministry to Spain two weeks from tomorrow and staying there for a month. The Circuit provides family accommodations for international attendees. Fair warning, however, that this is your birthday present this year, and maybe your Christmas present too."

Harry nodded again with a smile. He knew the fees for the tournament, plus travel expenses, wouldn't be cheap. Harry's Papa had raised him to value experiences over material possessions so he was happy enough about it. With a final wave from Harry to his friends, the pair left to go to the Swedish Ministry, and from there to home. 

 

The Spanish Ministry was in the heart of Madrid. After exiting the fires in their International Arrivals office, Remus cast a translation charm over both of them and directed Harry towards customs. Filing the paperwork for the length and purpose of their visit, inspecting their belongings for contraband, and registering their wands took the better part of two hours, leaving just enough time for lunch at a cafe before Harry was due to check in at the Dueling Circuit headquarters.

Harry had a pasta dish for lunch with lemon cola, and Remus showed him how most locals would use the bread served with the meal to absorb the leftover sauce on the plate. They finished with flan. The meal was heavier than what Harry was used to for lunch, but Remus told him that in Spain it was typical to eat a very large lunch, then a small dinner late at night.

The attendant who checked Harry in yawned almost continuously throughout the process. "Apologies," she said, the cadence of a translation charm in her voice, "We are working through siesta today to get everyone accounted for." At Harry's uncomprehending look, she elaborated. "Typically after lunch there is a time of rest, called siesta. I am missing my nap."

 

The Circuit was shaping up to be everything Harry had hoped. While he spent most of his free time with his Papa, Harry also became friendly with several of the people near his age who were also staying in the international accommodations. The two he spent the most time with were Marije Reuvekamp from the Netherlands, who Harry had seen but not dueled at Durmstrang's tournament, and Fleur Delcour from France. Marije was a year older than Harry, which explained why their paths hadn't crossed much at school, and Fleur was his age. Both girls were fantastic duelers, and just as excited to learn and compete as Harry.

The first two weeks of the month long program were devoted to workshops and friendly practice duels, with the real competition brackets set to begin in the third week. 

"Professor Flitwick!" Remus said one morning after walking with Harry to the day's workshop, his tone one of pleasant surprise.

"Remus, it's good to see you," the diminutive man replied warmly. "I typically go by Master Flitwick around the Circuit, but I'm _sure_ I've told you before that you're welcome to call me Filius."

"Of course you have, how silly of me," Remus answered with a smile before turning to Harry. "Harry, this is Master Filius Flitwick. He teaches Charms at Hogwarts. Filius, this is Harry."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Harry said, his voice as unsure as it always was when dealing with people from Britain.

"And it's wonderful to meet you, Harry. Or to meet you again, I should say. Your mother was hoping to apprentice under me for a Charms Mastery, so we met a few times when you were just a baby."

Sensing no hesitation or scorn in the man's voice, Harry allowed himself a smile. "Are you teaching today, sir?"

"I am, so you had best head inside, young man. Remus, perhaps we could meet for lunch this afternoon?"

Remus nodded his assent, while Harry waved goodbye to his Papa and darted into the room where the day's dueling workshop, focused on defensive footwork, would take place.

 

The rest of Harry's time at the Under Fourteen Dueling Competition and workshops flew by, and Harry had a blast. Between spending time with Fleur and Marije, lunches with Master Flitwick, and the tournament activities themselves, there was never a dull moment. All too soon, however, the month in Spain came to a close. With a promise to write from Fleur, and a chance to see Marije back at Durmstrang in September, Harry and Remus took the international floo back to British soil just in time for Harry's thirteenth birthday.

Harry had not won the tournament portion of the Under Fourteen competition, nor even ranked so highly as he had at Durmstrang's tournament, because he'd been determined to focus on his newly developed skill over raw power. Fleur, however, placed third overall. 

The mix of fear and disgust thrown at the pair as they registered their return to their home country country and made their way back to their cottage was nothing new, but it stung that much harsher for the time that Harry had spent able to be a normal kid in Spain at the Circuit. Once safely ensconced in their home, however, Remus made quick work of cheering Harry up with a freshly baked chocolate cake and the confirmation of Harry's excellent exam marks, and the two settled in for a quiet conclusion to their summer.


End file.
